Iowa vs. Wisconsin Pick
Will No. 6 Wisconsin be able to avoid a letdown performance when it plays host to No. 25 Iowa today at 3:30PM ET in a Big Ten clash?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Wisconsin is the favorite in this game, as the Badgers are getting odds of -12 points against Iowa. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 46 points. The road team has won six straight meetings in this series and Iowa has covered the spread in six of its last 10 meetings with Wisconsin. The public is currently putting 68 percent of the wagers on Iowa on the road. Today’s game takes place from Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. The game will air live on ABC.
Wisconsin is coming off a 45-17 win at Indiana to improve to 9-0 on the season and 6-0 in the Big Ten. The Badgers are 5-4 against the spread this season despite the perfect record. Wisconsin has a dominant defense, as the unit is allowing just 13.3 points and 267.8 yards per game. The Badgers are giving up only 87.8 rushing yards per contest. Offensively, Wisconsin is putting up 36.1 points and 438.8 yards per game. Jonathan Taylor is leading the offense with 1,368 yards and 12 touchdowns while Alex Hornibrook has thrown for 1,728 yards and 15 touchdowns. Leading receiver Quintez Cephus will be out again today due to a leg injury. He has been the team’s leading receiver with 30 catches for 501 yards and six touchdowns.
Iowa is coming off a surprising 55-24 win at home over Ohio State last week to improve to 6-3 on the season and 3-3 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are 4-4-1 against the spread this season but they have yet to cover on the road. Iowa has increased its offensive average to 28.3 points per game and 361.6 yards per game following last week’s win. Iowa amassed 487 yards in the win over Ohio State, including 243 rushing yards. Akrum Wadley now has 761 yards on the ground and five touchdowns this season while Nathan Stanley has 1,929 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. Defensively, Iowa is allowing 18.1 points and 369 yards per game.
Iowa is coming off a big showing last week but the Hawkeyes are not performing the same away from home. However, though they aren’t covering, they are still competitive on the road. They edged a good Iowa State team on the road in OT and lost in OT at Northwestern. They also lost by seven points at Michigan State. Those losses seem to get better each week. While Wisconsin has the talent, Iowa has the fight to keep this game close. This is the toughest physical matchup Wisconsin will have had since beating Northwestern by just 9 at home. I think the Hawkeyes keep this within single digits.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: IOWA +12