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The Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1) and Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1) meet at Huntington Bank Stadium Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college football odds around the Iowa vs. Minnesota odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Minnesota’s always been a run-first team, but this season it is showing a bit more balance. The Gophers are 2-1, with their only loss coming in the opener against North Carolina. Since then, their defense has really stepped up, pitching a shutout in their last game against Nevada. They cruised to a 27-0 win, covering the 14.5-point spread, although the game stayed under the 44.5 total. The defense is becoming a real strength for Minnesota as the season moves forward.
Iowa is 2-1 after a tough loss to Iowa State but bounced back with a 38-20 win over Troy. While the defense wasn’t at its best, the offense shined. RB Kaleb Johnson ran for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries, and QB Cade McNamara was efficient, completing 19 of 23 passes for 176 yards. It didn’t cover the 24-point spread, but the game easily went over the 39-point total.
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Iowa at Minnesota odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated at 11:45 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Iowa -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Minnesota +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Against the spread (ATS): Iowa -2.5 (-115) | Minnesota +2.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 35 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Iowa at Minnesota picks and predictions
Prediction
Minnesota 21, Iowa 14
Moneyline
BET MINNESOTA (+120).
The Gophers have shown they can compete, especially with RB Darius Taylor leading the charge on offense. His ability to break through defenses, even ones as strong as Iowa’s, makes Minnesota a solid pick. QB Max Brosmer has been steady, and its defense has been opportunistic, consistently forcing turnovers when it matters most. Expect Minnesota to come out fast and maintain control throughout the game.
Against the spread
PASS.
I’m not going to play around with the spread because I’ve got the underdog Gophers winning outright.
Over/Under
AVOID.
Honestly, I’d stay away from betting the total. Both teams have solid defenses, so the under looks tempting, but Iowa’s offense is just too unpredictable. It has been decent, but really struggled against Iowa State. You never know which version of it is going to show up. Rather than stressing over the total, I’d stick to the ML and avoid the uncertainty. It’s just not worth the risk here.
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