The oddsmakers don’t care about Iowa’s losing streak. At least, not for one week as Iowa welcomes in a team with a losing streak twice as long.
The Hawkeyes (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) have lost three straight, but they return to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a 2:30 p.m. date against Northwestern (1-6, 1-3 Big Ten). Per Tipico Sportsbook, Iowa begins the week as a 10.5-point favorite.
It’s no big surprise, but the oddsmakers at Tipico aren’t expecting many offensive fireworks between these two. The over-under total begins the week at just 35.5 points. After all, Iowa has scored 30 points in its last three games combined.
For an Iowa team looking to get right, Northwestern looks like the perfect recipe to get back up off the mat. Since opening with a 31-28 comeback win over Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland, Northwestern hasn’t won a game.
The Wildcats have lost in succession to Duke, FCS foe Southern Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Penn State, Wisconsin and Maryland. In the process, Northwestern has sunk to rank as the nation’s No. 97 total defense, surrendering 28.14 points per game, which ranks tied-81st.
Maybe even Iowa’s offense can sustain some drives and put up some points against the Wildcats’ defense. The Hawkeyes average just 227.3 yards per game of total offense, but the hope is that Northwestern’s defense will be the tonic for an offense that has just seven offensive touchdowns through seven games. Iowa ranks 128th nationally, averaging just 14.0 points per game.
Defensively, one would think that Iowa should have success slowing down a Northwestern team that played backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan last week. He finished 18-of-24 passing for 143 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
Northwestern running back Evan Hull is one of the league’s better backs, but the Wildcats still average just 127.0 rushing yards per game, which clocks in as the country’s 101st rushing offense. Northwestern does rank 45th in passing offense, but just 74th in total offense.
To start the week, the other games break down like this: No. 2 Ohio State heads to No. 13 Penn State where the Buckeyes are favored by 15.5; Rutgers travels to Minnesota where the Golden Gophers are favored by 14.5; No. 18 Illinois is off to Nebraska where the Illini are favored by 7.5; and Michigan State looks to swing a shocker at No. 4 Michigan where the Wolverines are favored by 22.5.
[lawrence-related id=11677]
[listicle id=11704]
[listicle id=11574]
[vertical-gallery id=11671]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdcxf97xrgg1awc player_id=none image=https://hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.