The 2020 college football season didn’t get off to the start the way Iowa was hoping it would last weekend.
The Hawkeyes look to bounce back from an opening loss when they play host to Northwestern on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST (ESPN).
Is Iowa in place to handle being a slight favorite against the 1-0 Wildcats?
How to watch Northwestern at Iowa
- What: Northwestern (1-0, 1-0 Big Ten) at Iowa (0-1, 0-1)
- When: 2:30 p.m. CST, Saturday, Oct. 31
- Where: Kinnick Stadium
- TV: ESPN
- Online livestream: ESPN Plus
- Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network, AM 600 WMT NewsRadio
- Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 132; XM Channel 202
- Online radio stream: Hawkeyesports.com
- Live Stats: Hawkeyesports.com
Oddsmakers see Iowa as a slim favorite
Despite the loss in the opener, Iowa finds itself as the favorite in Saturday’s game with Northwestern. Across the board, oddsmakers are listing Iowa as a 2.5-point favorite. The only difference is the juice, depending on the Iowa sportsbook.
| Northwestern at Iowa Week 9 Odds | DraftKings | FanDuel | Fox Bet | PointsBet | William Hill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point spread (-110 juice unless noted) | NW +2.5 -109 IOWA -2.5 -112 | NW +2.5 IOWA -2.5 | NW +2.5 IOWA -2.5 | NW +2.5 IOWA -2.5 | NW +2.5 -115 IOWA -2.5 -105 |
| Moneyline | NW +112 IOWA -136 | NW +112 IOWA -138 | NW +115 IOWA -133 | NW +115 IOWA -136 | NW +115 IOWA -135 |
| Total points (-110 juice unless noted) | O 47 -108 U 47 -113 | O 46.5 -114 U 46.5 -106 | O 47 +100 U 47 -118 | O 46 U 46 | O 46.5 U 46.5 |
When it comes to the moneyline, Iowa is listed anywhere from -133 to -138. Northwestern has odds ranging from +112 to +115.
The over/under has a varying range of 46 to 47 points.
Trends like a low-scoring game
Northwestern has had some recent success against Iowa, but the Hawkeyes control the all-time series with the Wildcats.
Over the history of these two, Iowa is 51-27-3 against Northwestern. The Hawkeyes earned a 20-0 win over Northwestern on the road last October, but that snapped a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats.
Northwestern has covered the spread in three of the last four meetings as well.
Iowa sports bettors could consider the under. These two have hit the under in three straight meetings, failing to combine for over 27 points in each meeting.
Northwestern has hit the under in five of their last six October games as well, while Iowa is 7-1-1 with the under in its last nine games as a favorite.
Public betting currently is siding with the Wildcats, as they are getting 60% of the wagers as of this writing.
Iowa stumbled against Purdue
A tumultuous week for the Iowa football program led to a 24-20 loss at Purdue last weekend.
On paper, Iowa looked like it should have been the winner. The Hawkeyes outgained the Boilermakers 460-386 and were even with their turnover ratio.
However, 10 penalties for 100 yards helped kill some potential scoring drives.
Tyler Goodson and Mekhi Sargent combined for 148 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead the Iowa offense. Quarterback Spencer Petras threw for 265 yards on 22 of 39 passing in his first start for Iowa.
Defensively, Iowa has to be concerned about allowing Aidan O’Connell to threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns against them. Normally a physical defensive front, Iowa also gave up 129 rushing yards on 21 carries to Zander Horvath.
Northwestern makes a statement against Maryland
The Wildcats had the most lopsided victory of any Big Ten team in last weekend’s action. Northwestern ran over Maryland, 43-3. It was the 100th career win for coach Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern.
The Terrapins took a 3-0 lead before Northwestern scored 43 unanswered points. Northwestern’s ground game couldn’t be stopped. The Wildcats piled up 325 yards rushing on 53 attempts and finished with 537 total yards in the win.
Drake Anderson led the way with 103 yards and a TD on 10 carries. Isaiah Bowser added 70 yards on a team-high 23 carries.
Transfer quarterback Peyton Ramsey threw for 212 yards and a TD on 23 of 30 passing in his first start for the Wildcats.
Defensively, Northwestern held Maryland to 207 total yards while forcing four turnovers.
