Northwestern has struggled all year to find consistency, while Iowa has played decent this season. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Northwestern-Iowa prediction and pick.
Northwestern has struggled this season after a great year last year. They are 3-4 and just lost in a blowout at home to Wisconsin. They also have big losses to Indiana, Washington, and Duke and then have wins against Miami (OH), Eastern Illinois, and Maryland. They have had a rough season and it does not get better against Iowa with how well they have played this season.
Iowa has played well this season, but has struggled to find consistency this season. They have wins against Illinois State, Troy, Minnesota, and Washington, and then have losses against Iowa State, Ohio State, and Michigan State. This is a big bounce-back spot for the Hawkeyes after they shockingly lost to Michigan State in their last time out.
Here are the Northwestern-Iowa College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Northwestern-Iowa Odds
Northwestern: +13.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +490
Iowa: -13.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -720
Over: 37.5 (-112)
Under: 37.5 (-108)
How to Watch Northwestern vs. Iowa
Time: 3:30 pm ET/ 12:30 pm PT
TV: BTN
Article Continues BelowStream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Northwestern Could Cover The Spread/Win
Northwestern has struggled this year. They are statistically the worst offense in the Big Ten at 286.6 yards per game and are only just slightly better scoring at 19 points per game, which is only better than UCLA. The Wildcats have used two quarterbacks at times this season, but Jack Lausch has been the main quarterback. He has 808 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and two interceptions with a 50.7% completion percentage. The receivers have been awful, with no one standing out up to this point. The running game has been okay at best this year with Cam Porter leading the way at 320 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 73 carries.
The Northwestern defense has been better than the defense this season. They are allowing 19.6 points per game and 350.1 yards per game. The Wildcats have been awful against the pass, but they have played well against the run this season. They are allowing 246.7 yards through the air, while also allowing 103.4 yards on the ground. Iowa focuses on the ground, so this could be a huge game for this Northwestern defense in Iowa City against Kaleb Johnson in the backfield
Why Iowa Could Cover The Spread/Win
Iowa has had an issue with consistency this season. They are averaging 27.9 points and 346.9 total yards per game. Quarterback Cade McNamara has struggled for the Hawkeyes under center. He has 944 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, and four interceptions with a 61% completion percentage. No one in the receiving corps has done anything of note this season. The running game has been great for Iowa and is what makes them go as a team thanks to Kaleb Johnson. He has 1,035 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 132 carries. He has been a gem for a usually inept Iowa offense.
Iowa's defense has also been solid this season. They allow 19.7 points and 337.7 yards per game. Their defense has not been as dominant as they normally are and they excel against the run more than the pass. They allow 224.9 yards through the air and then 112.9 yards on the ground per game. This will be a good matchup for the Hawkeyes because Northwestern has struggled on offense all year. They can run the ball, so the Hawkeyes should be ready against the Wildcats with their run defense.
Final Northwestern-Iowa Prediction & Pick
The point total should tell you everything about this game. It is going to be a very slow and boring game based around field position. Iowa is the better team and has improved their offense. Iowa City is also a hard place to play as well. Expect Northwestern to keep it close at first, but Iowa should win and cover at home on their way to a big blowout win.
Final Northwestern-Iowa Prediction & Pick: Iowa -13.5 (-110)