Minnesota vs. Iowa Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 8

In Week 7, the Iowa Hawkeyes only needed 37 passing yards to take command of the Big 10 West with a 15-6 win over the Wisconsin Badgers. Iowa is now 6-1 overall and 3-1 in conference with its only loss coming to Penn State in Happy Valley. Now, even without Cade McNamara the Hawkeyes have a chance to knock off another top contender for the Big 10 West title, the 3-3 Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Minnesota is 1-2 in conference play after a 52-10 loss to Michigan in Week 6. PJ Fleck’s team was on a bye last week. This conference matchup will loom large at the end of the year, so we’ll dig into the odds and trends, but first, check out BetSided college football betting expert Reed Wallach’s weekly column and preview. 

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Minnesota vs. Iowa Odds, Spread and Total

Iowa and Minnesota Betting Trends

• Iowa is 4-2-1 ATS
• The UNDER is 5-2 in Iowa games
• Minnesota is 1-5 ATS
• The OVER is 3-3 in Minnesota games

Minnesota vs. Iowa How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, October 21
• Time: 3:30 PM EST
• Venue: Kinnick Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): NBC
• Minnesota Record: 3-3
• Iowa Record: 6-1

Minnesota vs. Iowa Key Players to Watch

Minnesota

Athan Kaliakmanis, QB: For the season, Kaliakmanis is completing just 55.9% of his passes and has thrown for only 797 yards in six games. He’s averaging 5.9 yards per attempt with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He has run for just 83 yards on 36 attempts, but he has run for two scores. 

Iowa

Deacon Hill, QB: Hill hasn’t played a lot this season, but has taken over since McNamara’s injury. He’s seen action in six games but has only played significantly in the most recent three, and has thrown for 311 yards with a 38.6% completion rate. He has thrown for two touchdowns with two interceptions and averages a mere 4.4 yards per attempt. 

Minnesota vs. Iowa Prediction and Pick

This game is absolutely ridiculous and it’s something we need to cherish in the final year of the Big 10 West as we know it. Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC are coming to this conference, but for now, a game with a total of 32 points and two of the worst quarterbacks you’ve ever seen could ultimately decide who gets to face Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State in the Big 10 Championship game. 

In the past two weeks, Deacon Hill has led his team to back-to-back Big 10 victories while completing 12 total passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. That’s a quarter of football for 80% of the quarterbacks in the Pac-12. Somehow, it’s not a certainty that he’s the worst quarterback in this game. 

Kaliakmanis threw for 52 yards last week on 5/15 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions against Michigan. He has led Minnesota’s offense to rank 121st in total offense, 120th in yards per play, and 130th in passing offense. On the other side, Iowa is 133rd in total offense, 129th in yards per play, and 131st in passing offense. 

Iowa’s defense is fourth in yards per play and clearly better than Minnesota’s unit, but I can’t trust Deacon Hill to cover over a field goal spread. I’m also not sure I can rely on Kaliakmanis to lead his team to any offensive production at all. The total is ridiculously low, but that’s why we have to take the under and revel in the punt fest at Kinnick Stadium. 

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change