You better bring it, Iowa City.
This is the swing game of the season. Yeah, yeah – Indiana. Feels weird to think of them in this sport in those terms. But this is a program that’s been in the playoffs and
looks like a possible playoff team again this year after their demolition of Illinois last week that sent the Hoosiers shooting up the rankings.
First, let’s talk weather. It’s a perfect weekend on the weather front. Temperatures will be in the low- to mid-80s around kickoff. Tailgating weather will be brilliant, with temps in the 70s by mid-morning. That’s just an awesome forecast, with a light wind to keep everyone cooled off while you hammer beers all morning.
Speaking of rankings – Iowa has that unsightly 0-10 record in their last 10 games against ranked opponents (9 of the 10 were on the road or neutral site games, with Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State prominently featured.) This is the opportunity to break that now that one of these games is finally back in Iowa City, the weather will be good, and the crowd should be in lather. You’d better be in a lather for this one. Kinnick’s going to have to be on point for Iowa to get a win on Saturday.
Where this game goes? While Iowa has a little extra oomph on offense with a running quarterback that looks to be settling in after a tough start, this will require Iowa to score points. Touchdowns, not field goals. They can’t go into a rock fight shell in this game. Iowa’s got to score in the high 20s or low 30s to win this. Good news for Iowa? Kirk Ferentz basically acknowledged this during his press conference on Tuesday, equating this to playing a version of Ohio State. He understands the assignment.
The line has shifted toward Indiana, despite this being their first road test (keep that in mind throughout the game; their sharpness will be tested by that alone.) The line started with Indiana as a 3.5-point favorite, then immediately jumped to IU -7.5 by Sunday morning. It’s held there since. I’m leaning IU to cover that, and I’d take the over on this. IU will score points, and I think Iowa will too, but not enough for an Iowa win.
Date: Saturday, September 27th
Time: 2:30 pm CT
Matchup: #11 Indiana Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0) at Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1, 1-0)
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
TV: Peacock
Updated Weather Forecast: Pristine with temperatures in the mid-80s at kickoff.
Updated FanDuel Line: Iowa +7.5, O/U 48.5
