The No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) and Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2, 2-1) meet Saturday in a BIg Ten clash in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kickoff at Huntington Bank Stadium is at 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1). Let's analyze college football odds around the Iowa at Minnesota odds and make our expert college football picks and predictions for the best bets.
Iowa heads into this week off a bye after defeating the +2.5 Washington Huskies 41-24 (Over 41.5) in Seattle Oct. 9. RB Kamari Moulton rushed for 203 yards and 2 TDs. The Hawkeyes' lone setback was a 31-14 home loss to the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Oct. 3. Iowa has won both of its Big Ten road games this fall and has won 5 straight games at Minnesota.
The Golden Gophers were trounced by the +2.5 Purdue
Boilermakers 41-13 (Over 48.5) in West Lafayette, Indiana, Oct. 10 before taking last weekend off. The loss snapped a 3-game Minnesota win streak.
Iowa and Minnesota first met on the gridiron in 1891. The Golden Gophers lead the all-time series 63-54-2, but the Hawkeyes have dominated the rivalry in recent years, winning 12 of the last 14 meetings. Iowa rolled to a 41-3 home victory last season and defeated Minnesota 31-14 in Minneapolis in 2024. The longtime border rivals compete annually for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, which has been awarded since 1935.
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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. Lines last updated Thursday at 3:13 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Iowa -275 (bet $275 to win $100) | Minnesota +220 (bet $100 to win $220)
- Against the spread (ATS): Iowa -7 (-108) | Minnesota +7 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 40.5 (O: -110 | U: -108)
Iowa at Minnesota picks and predictions
Prediction
Iowa 28 , Minnesota 17
Moneyline
No interest; PASS.
Against the spread
Minnesota is 4-11 ATS over its last 15 games vs. ranked foes. The last 10 Floyd of Rosedale games have seen the Hawkeyes go 8-1-1 ATS. Over that stretch, Iowa has won 5 in a row ATS at Minnesota.
On the ground, Iowa averages 194.0 yards per game and ranks highly in rushing explosiveness. In this one, the Hawkeyes are facing a Minnesota defense ranked near the bottom in FBS in rushing success rate allowed. That gives the Hawkeyes opportunities to sustain drives and create longer gains.
Flip those ground-game averages and leverage points around when the Gophers have the ball. UM has averaged under-3.9 yards per rushing attempt against all 4 Power-4 foes it has faced. In its Oct. 10 contest against Purdue, Minnesota was out-rushed 305 yards to 27. A Boilermakers team that averages 3.7 yards per attempt averaged 6.5 against the Gophers.
Both squads have played Washington in Seattle, and that's a solid comp here. Iowa defeated the Huskies by 17 and was a plus-266 in rushing differential. Minnesota beat UW by 3.
TAKE IOWA -7 (-108).
Over/Under
The Over has cashed in the last 2 series meetings. The Over is 3-1 across UM's last 4 games.
Minnesota allows TDs on 77.8% of opponents’ red-zone trips, ranking 131st nationally. Combined with Iowa’s favorable rushing matchup, that creates a plausible path to touchdowns rather than 3-pointers when the Hawkeyes are trying to finish drives.
Look for a preponderance of havoc plays being created by both sides. Iowa is likely a bit unlucky to have only logged 5 takeaways so far. But there is some short-field potential in this matchup.
And the Gophers will sling it. They get pass-heavy and are facing an Iowa defense which gets leaky in allowing big gains through the air.
The OVER 40.5 (-110) is the leverage side.
Betting odds calculator
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This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: Iowa Hawkeyes at Minnesota Golden Gophers odds, picks and predictions
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