The Mississippi State Bulldogs arguably have the best defense in all of college football, and they will look to make the Iowa Hawkeyes’ New Year’s Day miserable by letting them eat their defensive prowess. That said, it could easily be the other way around in this intriguing matchup. Less than 36 hours out from the Outback Bowl the point spread stands tall at 7-points in favor of the Bulldogs.
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Betting Preview for the Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Iowa Hawkeyes College Football Outback Bowl Game on January 1 2019
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
When: Tuesday, January 1, 2019, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Mississippi State Bulldogs (-7) vs Iowa Hawkeyes (+7) – view all 2018 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4 Overall / 4-4 Conference)
The Bulldogs kicked off their 2018 campaign like a house on fire with three-straight wins. Although those were against overmatched opponents managed to show it can beat elite competition with their two wins against No. 8 Auburn Tigers and No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies. In their last two games, the Bulldogs also defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ole Miss Rebels, respectively. The Bulldogs win games mainly because of two things: their defense and quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. Mississippi State finished the regular season with the best scoring defense in the entire nation. It’s stop unit allowed just 12.5 points and 269.7 total yards per contest, which were both No. 1 in the FBS. Fitzgerald, on the other hand, is a dual-threat signal-caller just finished the season with 1,615 passing yards and 15 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He’s even more deadly on the ground, having collected 1,018 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the season.
The Bulldogs are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games.
Betting on the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4 Overall / 5-4 Conference)
The Hawkeyes eyes are not going to have their best tight end and one of their most consistent performers on offense in the matchup with Mississippi State, as Noah Fant has already made his decision to skip the Outback Bowl. That means tight end T.J. Hockerson is going to have to step it up to help the Hawkeyes solve the Bulldogs’ defensive puzzle. That also means more workload for Hockerson, who paced the team in the regular season with 717 receiving yards to go with six touchdown receptions on 46 catches. Of course, Mississippi State will have a target on Hockerson’s back, so it’s also important for the likes of wide receivers Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Brandon Smith, and Nick Easley to make plays in order to spread out the defensive focus on them by the Bulldogs. Iowa, who beat the Illinois Fighting Illini and Nebraska Cornhuskers in back-to-back fashion to end their regular season, also knows how to stop its opponents’ attack, as the Hawkeyes finished with a ninth-ranked defense that allowed only 17.7 points per game.
The over is 4-1 in Iowa’s lat five games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Mississippi State wins and covers, 27-17.
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