No. 5 Stanford Cardinal vs. No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes
It’s “The Grandaddy of Them All” on Friday, when the Stanford Cardinal and Iowa Hawkeyes meet in the 2016 Rose Bowl. The Cardinal are coming off a Pac-12 Championship, while the Hawkeyes are coming off a tough loss in the Big-Ten Championship.
When it comes to the rose bowl, there is no more time-honored game in college football and winning the game is a big deal for any program. It’s not the first time that either of these programs have made it to Pasadena, and both know what exactly will be at stake on Friday.
Details for Friday’s game are below.
Date: Friday, January 1
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Pasadena, CA
Stadium: Rose Bowl
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN App
Keys to Victory
This game is going to be a physical game between two big teams. All eyes are going to be on Heisman runner-up Christian McCaffery, who is going to be a weapon at all phases of offense. If Kevin Hogan and Stanford are going to up points on a tough Iowa defense, then they need to find their big play guy in McCaffrey.
A great battle to watch will be Iowa cornerback Desmond King up against McCaffrey and the rest of the Stanford offense. King is an All-American and is one of the best at picking off the quarterback. If Hogan isn’t careful for Stanford, King will pick him off and turn the tide for the Hawkeyes.
On offense, the Hawkeyes are going to have to use their tremendous balance. Iowa is good at passing the ball, but more importantly, they’re great at pounding the football and really grinding out the tough yards. Hawkeyes running back Jordan Canzeri has become a real threat in the Hawkeyes’ running game.
That means with a balanced offense, Stanford linebacker Blake Martinez and the rest of the Stanford offense has to be prepared for a steady ground attack. Iowa can balance things out with the pass, but if they can eliminate the run, they will effective force the Hawkeyes to sticking to one phase of offense, which could make things very uncomfortable for Iowa.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Stanford -6
Moneyline: Stanford -105
O/U: 53.5
Prediction
This game is going to be brutal defensively, as both teams are going to smash each other all day. With a game like this, it comes down to which team can bust out that big play to win the game. With a guy like McCaffrey, Stanford has the guy who can make the play to win the game.
Pick: Stanford 34, Iowa 17