We are back after a bye week! 5-1, only loss is to Ohio State…life is GOOD in Hawkeye Nation. Now we get a run through the old Big Ten West on the way to a possible playoff appearance.
We start with Floyd of Rosedale on the line in the Twin Cities. For mid-October, you can’t complain with highs in Minneapolis reaching the low to mid-70s. Throughout the game, temperatures look great with winds out of the south-southwest at 11 mph. Not bad at all. However, there will be a chance of rain late in the game, with a 40
percent chance of rain beginning early evening. I nailed the Seattle forecast, of course, so watch it be sunny and bright throughout this game.
As for this game…this feels like an Iowa win to me. Maybe by a couple of scores. Minnesota has a good quarterback in Drake Lindsay. Javon Tracy (brother of Tyrone Tracy) is a talented receiver. They’re good off the edge on defense – they legitimately have one of the better pash rushes in the league. But I can’t shake their home rout at the hands of Mississippi State, and I really can’t shake their last outing, a 41-13 butchering at the hands of Purdue. If that had been a loss to UCLA? USC? Sure, I get it. Losing like that to Purdue? That was a trap and the Gophers fell right into it. Purdue had over 300 yards rushing in that game and crucially, Minnesota couldn’t run the ball against a Purdue defense that hasn’t stopped anyone all year.
They also had a bye so maybe they were in look ahead mode to Iowa with Purdue inconveniently sandwiched between two major rivals in Iowa and Michigan. They’ll be desperate for a win in this game given they only have the weak fair catch game as a win in this series since 2014.
The Gophers have good skill players so my guard is up. But this Iowa team seems loose, the quarterback situation is no longer news since Jeremy Hecklinski was named the starter earlier in the week, and there is a focus with this team. They know what’s at stake. I’m going with an Iowa win and a cover – the line is now sitting at Iowa -7.5 – 31-17. Floyd spends another winter nice and warm in Iowa City.
Date: Saturday, October 24
Time: 2:30 pm CT
Matchup: Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2, 2-1)
Location: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: FS1
Updated Weather Forecast: Mostly cloudy, high in the low to mid 70s, but a chance of rain early evening.
Updated FanDuel Line: Iowa -7.5 O/U 40.5
