Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0 SU, 2-0-1 ATS) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS)
College Football Week 4
Date/Time: Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 7:30 PM ET
Where: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA
TV: BIG TEN NETWORK
by KEITH, NCAA Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: IOWA +12
Over/Under Total: 53
The Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) will head to Iowa City, Iowa to face off with the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) at Kinnick Stadium in a primetime collision featuring two undefeated Big Ten stalwarts. The meeting is one of national notoriety and will be broadcasted across America on the Big Ten Network. The meeting between the two will take place on Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 at 7:30 PM ET. The two teams met last year at Penn State where the Nittany Lions would smash the Hawkeyes by a score of 41-14. Recently, PSU has won the last three meetings against Iowa.
As mentioned, both teams come in undefeated and have made some statements in some of the victories on each of their resumes in the early going of this season. Both Iowa and Penn State have accumulated some prolific results. For the Hawkeyes, they most recently defeated North Texas by a margin of 31-14. The Hawkeyes would fail to cover the spread at -19.5 but nevertheless it was their sixth victory in the past seven games. Iowas sole loss over this sample was against Florida in the Outback Bowl. Iowas biggest win this season was when they rallied back to defeat their arch-nemesis Iowa State in the Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy where Iowa would win the game in overtime by a score of 44-41. The Hawkeyes trailed by double-digits and would fight back in Ames to force extra time. Iowa is known as a team built for closing games and they are a dangerous bunch to let to hang around. On the year, Iowa also thumped Wyoming to its credit and shut down one of the nations best passers in the process.
Penn State comes in off a 56-0 thumping of Georgia State. In just three games, Penn State has earned its second shutout of the season already. Previous to this, the Nittany Lions would get vindication to a bitter defeat they suffered last year against cross-state foe Pitt when they rolled the Panthers in State College by a score of 33-14. As a result of Penn States accolades in three weeks, they are now ranked the #4 team in all the land. Though the subject of discussion in the pre-season was Ohio State, Penn State is the defending Big Ten Champions. Such a title has put a huge target on the back of the Nittany Lions and this is an extraordinary test to open up their conference schedule.
In the early going we have seen much of the consensus take a liking to the Nittany Lion. This can be a very dangerous practice given the fact this is likely a reaction to the defensive spectacles Penn State has achieved along with their improvement in the polls. We must remind takers that these accolades were fostered against Georgia State and Akron, two teams that failed to make a bowl game in 2016. A similar stage was set in 2016 when the Hawks hosted an undefeated Michigan Wolverines. The market moved substantially from public action on the Wolverines but the Hawkeyes would carry out one of 2016s biggest upsets. Iowa defeated the Maize and Blue in Iowa City by virtue of a game-winning field goal and the rest is history. A similar situation can unfold here given the dynamics presented. Kinnick Stadium is known as one of college footballs most notorious settings where many teams have gone and left with broken hearts. Penn State could easily be Iowas next victim. The bottom line is that the Iowa defense is good enough to make it competitive in any game and their home cooking accelerates them to play at a high-quality level. Though Iowa was overvalued in their most recent exploit, the Hawkeyes are a potent and dangerous underdog on their own turf. This much has been established. With Penn State being an object of admiration, this position sets up a perfect trap situation for Penn State. There is added pressure with lofty expectations and this team is prognosticated by some to be the favorite for the College Football Playoff in the Big Ten. Take the points and watch for a potential upset.
KEITHs Pick to Cover the Point Spread: IOWA +12. Bet your Penn State/Iowa picks at an online sportsbook where you can bet on games at -105 odds instead of the more expensive -110 price tag that your bookie is sticking you with! Making the switch to betting at discounted odds will save you TONS of cash! Find this great offer as well as 20 point teasers and parlays up to 25 teams at the web’s best bookmaker: 5Dimes.