“Worry about turtles before you worry about lions” may seem like bad advice in the wild, but it’s probably good advice when No. 5 Iowa travels to undefeated Maryland.
And, Iowa sports bettors who try to get their Iowa Hawkeyes bets in on Saturday morning are going to be too late. The Hawkeyes and Terrapins play Friday night.
Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa program does have a template — they’ve played Nebraska on Black Fridays in recent years.
Ferentz told reporters the players and staff will “try to steal notes from that” as they deal with a short week:
“We started cranking pretty hard on Sunday, I’m sure just like they did. Things get squeezed down. Our off-day will be on Saturday. We’re trying to get a lot done right now before we have to travel on Thursday and then wait around for the game.”
How to watch Iowa vs. Maryland game
- What: No. 5 Iowa (4-0) at Maryland (4-0)
- When: 7 p.m. Friday
- Where: Maryland Stadium in College Park, MD
- TV: FS1
The Hawkeyes remained steady at No. 5 in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The Terrapins just missed a spot in the rankings. They would be No. 27 this week if the poll went out that far.
Iowa then faces the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions in an Oct. 9 game that could have Rose Bowl or College Football Playoff implications. But oddsmakers think Iowa needs to stay ready for their trip to College Park, MD, first.
Ferentz seems to agree, based on comments at his weekly press conference:
“They’ve got a good staff, they’ve clearly recruited with a vision (and) recruit a lot of good athletes. They’ve got good size, good speed, and their schemes are really what they’re looking for and what they want.”
Iowa at Maryland odds
QB Taulia Tagovailoa is on pace to set the all-time Maryland record for passing yards in a season, according to Maryland’s sports information department. He ranks seventh in the country and leads the conference with 335 passing yards per game this season. Taulia is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. Ferentz said Taulia is “playing at a real high level right now, as is their team.”
NCAAF live odds around the Big Ten
Michigan is looking like a national bounce-back candidate and could help Iowa’s Big Ten West hopes with a win at Wisconsin. Penn State hosts Indiana before traveling to Iowa City for the possible top-five matchup.
Friday, Oct. 1
- No. 5 Iowa at Maryland (7 p.m. FS1)
11 a.m. games
- No. 14 Michigan at Wisconsin (FOX)
- Charlotte at Illinois (BTN)
- Minnesota at Purdue (BTN)
2:30 p.m. games
- No. 11 Ohio State at Rutgers (BTN)
6:30 p.m. games
- Indiana at No. 4 Penn State (ABC)
- Western Kentucky at No. 17 Michigan State (BTN)
- Northwestern at Nebraska (BTN)
Other Top 25 games and live college football odds
Friday, Oct. 1
- 8 p.m. — No. 13 BYU at Utah State (CBS Sports Network)
11 a.m. games (unless noted)
- No. 8 Arkansas at No. 2 Georgia (ESPN)
- Louisville at No. 24 Wake Forest (11:30 a.m. ESPN3)
- No. 7 Cincinnati at No. 9 Notre Dame (1:30 p.m. NBC)
- UL-Monroe at No. 16 Coastal Carolina (1:30 p.m. ESPN+)
2:30 p.m. games
- No. 12 Ole Miss at No. 1 Alabama (CBS)
- No. 3 Oregon at Stanford (ABC)
- No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas State (FOX)
6 p.m. games (unless noted)
- No. 10 Florida at Kentucky (5 p.m. ESPN)
- Louisiana Tech at No. 23 North Carolina State (5 p.m. ESPN+/ACC Network Extra)
- Mississippi State at No. 15 Texas A&M (SEC Network)
- No. 21 Baylor at No. 19 Oklahoma State (ESPN2)
- Boston College at No. 25 Clemson (6:30 p.m. ACC Network)
Late games
- No. 22 Auburn at LSU (8 p.m. ESPN)
- Arizona State at No. 20 UCLA (9:30 p.m. FS1)
- No. 18 Fresno State at Hawaii (10 p.m. CBS Sports Network)
