NCAA Football
2021-09-11 - Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Week 2
Saturday 11th September 2021 - Scheduled 4:30pm
9:30pm (British Time)
Preview
I was pretty high on the Indiana Hoosiers going into Week 1 of the College Football season, but the Iowa Hawkeyes care little for reputations and expectations. They blew out the Hoosiers at home and even with a single game on the board, you may consider Iowa as the favourites to be playing in the Big Ten Championship Game as the leading team in the Big Ten West Division.
The Hawkeyes will head back into Divisional play next month and they will be keen to do so as an unbeaten team after finishing 6-2 last season. The team have not had a losing record since 2012, but this is the non-Conference game that every single Iowa fan will be wanting to win more than any other.
Winning the Big Ten Championship would give Iowa every chance of making the College Football PlayOff and they are a Ranked team.
For the first time ever, the Hawkeyes will be taking on their in-State rivals Iowa State Cyclones with both teams in the Rankings and the latter have to be massively respected. There are plenty out there who will feel the Cyclones are still trending in a positive direction coming off a 9-3 season and they may be right in amongst the favourites to win the Big 12 Championship and perhaps force their way into the College Football PlayOff.
So there isn't just a rivalry on the line on Saturday, but the winning team will deal their rivals a big blow in looking to secure a spot in the PlayOff and that has only intensified the feeling around the game. Having the 2020 meeting cancelled will have only increased that and I do think this is going to be a close, competitive game with very little between them.
Iowa State did not look so good in their own Week 1 win, but they were not playing FBS opposition and the feeling is that Head Coach Matt Campbell would have made sure a vanilla game plan is the only video the Hawkeyes have of their team in 2021. With 11 starters back on the Offensive side of the ball, Iowa will know what the Iowa State Cyclones are capable of, and they won't want to read too much into the performance in Week 1.
The Cyclones have a very productive Offensive unit and they have some of the top Receiving corps and Offensive Line in the nation. Add in Brock Purdy at Quarter Back and you know how good this Iowa State team can be, but the Hawkeyes have a tremendous Defensive unit and the belief is that they can keep their hosts in check for long enough to give their own Offensive unit a chance to win this game.
The Hawkeyes have an Offensive Line that is capable of giving Spencer Petras plenty of time at Quarter Back and with 7 starters back, Iowa should be as close to the levels they showed last season on this side of the ball. Like their rivals, Iowa State have a tremendous looking Defensive unit and they also have 9 starters back on this unit which gave up just 21.4 points on average in 2020.
It feels like this game has all of the makings of a close, low-scoring one and that makes the points with the underdog look appealing. I love the look of the Iowa State Cyclones, but the Iowa Hawkeyes are no slouches and they have won the last five in this rivalry.
I have to respect the fact that Iowa State have been a very strong home favourite to back when they are being asked to lay fewer than seven points, and they have covered in the last nine in that spot. The Hawkeyes have a poor 1-7 record against the spread in their last eight as the road underdog too, but my overriding feeling is that this is going to be a really competitive game between rivals and a Field Goal may be enough to separate them at the end of the contest.
Having more than three points for the underdog looks like too many points and I will look for the Iowa Hawkeyes Defensive unit to make enough plays to contain the powerful looking Iowa State Cyclones. That should give the underdog the chance to keep this one close and I will take the points on offer here.
Prediction
Take the points with the road underdog.
The Pick :
Iowa State Cyclones 24-21 Iowa Hawkeyes
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back Iowa Hawkeyes + 4.5 Points at -110 with Intertops
