After picking on minnows in their respective last games, the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions will collide this coming Saturday in a showdown between two ranked teams with College Football Playoff aspirations. At press, the 5-2 Penn State is priced at +40,000 to win the College Football Championship while at 3-3 overall Iowa is looking to squeak passed the .500 mark for the season thus far. Read on for a preview of this marquee matchup that has the potential to be this week’s best game.
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Betting Preview for the Iowa Hawkeyes vs Penn State Nittany Lions Week 9 College Football Game on Oct. 27 2018
Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park
When: Saturday, October 27, 2018, 3:30 PM ET
Line: Iowa Hawkeyes(+4.5) vs Penn State Nittany Lions (-4.5) – view all 2018 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-3 Overall / 2-2 Conference)
The Hawkeyes stitched their third-straight win last weekend, blowing the Maryland Terrapins out of the water in a 23-0 shutout victory at home. Iowa State’s suffocating defense put the Terps attack on a chokehold. Maryland only had 47 passing yards and a measly 68-yard production on the ground. It’s the kind of performance that should give Iowa a needed confidence booster ahead of a big-time clash with Penn State. Senior defensive end Parker Hesse came up with a terrific performance against the Terps that he’ll definitely want to replicate this coming weekend. In the Maryland game, the senior defensive end had five tackles and a sack against the Terps’ read-option offense. Hesse and the Hawkeyes have one of the toughest stop units to crack in the nation, as Iowa is making opponents bleed for just 14. points and 263.2 total yards per game.
The Hawkeyes are 3-0 ATS in their last three road games.
Betting on the Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2 Overall / 2-2 Conference)
After back-to-back heartbreaking losses to the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan State Spartans, the Nittany Lions recaptured their moxie thanks to a 33-28 win over the Indiana Hoosiers on the road last week. Quarterback Trace McSorley had 220 passing yards with zero touchdowns and an interception on 19-of-26 completions. He made up for his shaky play on the air with an exceptional performance on the ground, as the dual-threat signal-caller zoomed for 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Despite the win, the Nittany Lions left their supporters hoping for a better performance but they’ll take the win any other way they can, especially with the team needing one to stay in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot. The Nittany Lions will look to give Iowa’s defense problems. Penn State is seventh in the league in scoring with 42.6 points per game and ranks 13th overall in total offense with over 480 total yards per contest.
The under is 2-0 in Penn State’s last two home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Penn State wins, 27-23.
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