Iowa is headed over to Happy Valley to face Penn State who is looking for conference wins in hopes of regaining national relevance.
The No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes are in the midst of a heated battle for the Big Ten West in ways that weren’t totally expected. Right now, Northwestern has a slight advantage over Iowa as the Wildcats have one more win in Big Ten play. Inexplicably, Iowa hasn’t been able to grab control over the Big Ten West despite Wisconsin not living up to lofty preseason expectations. A win for the Hawkeyes over Penn State would elevate Iowa quite a bit.
The Penn State Nittany Lions were supposed to be in a heated battle for the Big Ten East, but that dream has almost totally evaporated for James Franklin’s team. Penn State lost to Ohio State, which wasn’t totally unexpected, and then turned around and lost to Michigan State, which was somewhat shocking. Last weekend, the Nittany Lions had issues with Indiana. Penn State needs a win just about as badly as Iowa does, but for the sake of salvaging its season.
The Hawkeyes aren’t the most productive on offense, but they are incredibly difficult to run the ball against. The defense is good in just about every aspect, but it’s the run defense that truly makes the Hawkeyes a special team in 2018. Opposing offenses have only been able to run for 79.6 yards per game against Iowa this season. However, the Hawkeyes are only getting 397.3 yards of total offense per game.
That makes this matchup interesting. Penn State is able to move the ball on the ground against just about anyone, but the Nittany Lions have a hard time stopping teams. So far, Penn State is averaging 240.6 rushing yards per game. The Nittany Lions are also giving up 392 total yards of offense per game.
How to bet on and watch Penn State vs. Iowa
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 27
- Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
- Stadium: Beaver Stadium
- TV Info: ESPN
- Odds: Penn State -6.5
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
Prediction: The Nittany Lions have a phenomenal amount of talent on offense and have done well for themselves this season on that side of the ball. But, they haven’t played well against the better teams in this conference. Iowa, on the other hand, finds new ways to keep winning. Both teams could really use this game and both teams are going to do what they can to make this game follow their tempo. Take the home team, but this game should be close.
Score: Penn State 27, Iowa 24