Oregon vs. Iowa prediction: Odds, picks, and best bet for Big Ten clash
The Oregon Ducks and Iowa Hawkeyes will meet at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday in what is essentially an elimination game.The winner of this tilt will keep its Big Ten and College Football Playoff hopes alive, while the loser will need to start focusing on next season.The Ducks are 6.5-point favorites on the road on Saturday.It’s hard to really know how good Oregon is this season.
Their best win of the season came on Sept.27 against Penn State, and we know how that result now looks.
Other than that, blowouts over Montana State, Oregon State, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, and Rutgers fail to really move the needle.The Ducks’ loss at home to Indiana further muddies the picture.It does feel like we have an idea of how good Iowa is, however.
The Hawkeyes were close losers against Indiana and Iowa State, and they, too, beat Penn State in a tight contest.Those results provide a decent picture of where Iowa is at right now.
The Hawkeyes are an absolute chore to beat, but their ceiling is limited due to an offense that is more efficient than explosive.The defense is characteristically elite, ranking sixth in the country, per SP+.Oregon’s defense has also been superb, sitting just above Iowa in SP+’s rankings, but it failed its only true test of the season against Indiana, so it is fair to wonder if everything is inflated when it comes to the Ducks’ statistical profile.We just saw Oregon struggle to get anything going on offense against Wisconsin in the Ducks’ last outing, and that bodes well for Iowa’s chances to not just cover, but win on Saturday.The Hawkeyes’ defense and ability to manage a game make it really hard to run away from them, which makes them an appealing underdog.
The Play: Iowa moneyline (+205, DraftKings)Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry.He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to bea...