Off a soul crushing defeat to reigning FCS champ North Dakota State, the Iowa Hawkeyes will look to pick up the pieces on the road where they’ll kick off Big Ten play against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. This Week 4 brawl marks the first time these programs will have run up against one another on the college gridiron as conference rivals. While Iowa will no doubt be looking to rebound, they’ll be opposing an amped up home team that comes off an exhilarating come-from-behind win over New Mexico.
Watch this regular season Week 4 matchup live on Saturday, September 24, 2016, at 12 p.m. ET at High Point Solutions Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Iowa -14
Rutgers +14
Odds Analysis
The betting public expects a quick Iowa rebound in this spot with the -11 betting line getting pounded up to -14 where it moved only a couple hours after hitting the board. Not exactly sure sharps are running to the betting window to back a much lesser Iowa team at this juncture, so it’s likely square money driving this line up. That, or sharp money looking to get a better position in the marketplace on the Scarlet Knights for a larger over the top bet.
Matchup to Watch
The Hawkeyes ran for a pathetic 34 yards on 25 carries against the Bison last week. That’s simply unacceptable when you have the tandem of LeShun Daniels Jr. and Akrum Wadley in the backfield. Rutgers has done a decent job defending the pass through its first three games, but it’s been a completely different story trying to defend opposing ground games.
The Scarlet Knights have been ripped to the tune of 178 rushing yards per game (No. 94) at 4.5 yards per carry (No. 80), so it’s highly likely they’ll be getting a steady dose of Iowa’s ground attack all game long. The Hawkeyes have averaged 6.3 rushing yards per carry (No. 7) and will look to it early and often to set the tone of this game right from the outset. Especially after last week’s no show.
Key Player
Robert Martin enters this tilt off his biggest game of the season rushing for 169 yards at 8.0 yards per carry to help lead the Scarlet Knights to the comeback win against New Mexico. He showed some major burst with an 80-yard touchdown jaunt that knotted the score after Rutgers fell behind 21-0 early.
Iowa’s defense is by no means as cutthroat as it was last season with the rush defense getting gouged for nearly 175 yards per game. The unit just allowed North Dakota State to rip them for 239 yards at a near 5.0 yards per carry clip. With Rutgers lacking in the passing department, it’s only shot of keeping this game competitive is by making hay on the ground. For that to happen, Martin must build off of last week’s big outing.
Free ATS Pick
Talk about overlooking an opponent! There’s simply no excuse for Iowa falling at home to North Dakota State regardless of the Bison being the five-time defending FCS champs. There’s something just not right with the Hawkeyes this season, and I got a feeling that something is the defense. It lost a number of playmakers from last year’s squad and is still finding itself as a unit.
Normally I’d look to back a Ferentz coached team off a loss looking to make a statement, but I’m just not buying Iowa in 2016. It took them way too long to put distance between itself and Iowa State when we backed them a couple weeks back, and just put forth last week’s stinker. Rutgers has been the doormat of the B1G since joining the conference, but it enters this spot off a great win and has some playmakers that could continue to expose Iowa’s defensive efficiencies. Over 93 percent of the betting public believes Iowa cruises. What has Iowa shown thus far to warrant that type of respect? I’m riding the fade train and suggest you do as well.
College Football Odds: Iowa 28, Rutgers 23
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