Free NCAA Football Prediction: Hawkeyes vs. Wildcats Odds
Looking for Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Kentucky Wildcats 2022 Citrus Bowl free picks? College football betting sees the Hawkeyes taking on the Wildcats on Saturday, January 1st, 2022 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football games 2022 Citrus Bowl predictions like this Iowa – Kentucky free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: 2022 Citrus Bowl
Iowa Hawkeyes (10-3) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (9-3)
Date: Saturday, January 1st, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM EST
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: Iowa +2.5 / Kentucky -2.5 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Iowa +122/ Kentucky -142
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 44
The Iowa Hawkeyes will be taking on the Kentucky Wildcats in the Citrus Bowl on January 1st. The kickoff is set for 1:00 ET from Camping World Stadium.
Iowa ended their season with a loss, while Kentucky ended theirs with a win. The Wildcats would love to finish off their year getting that 10th win of the year.
The Hawkeyes actually opened up as a 1 point favorite and they are now a 2.5 point dog. The total has gone from 45.5 to 44.
Iowa Hawkeyes
This is no disrespect to this Iowa team, but I never thought they were a legit team this year. Even though they had a good record, I always considered them to be a pretender, which is why I am not surprised at all by the result of the Big Ten Title Game.
The Hawkeyes got smoked by the Michigan Wolverines last Saturday by a score of 42-3. They were really never in that game and it honestly could have been worse than what the final score was.
I am not surprised that Spencer Petras got benched last week based on his performance. He finished the day 9/22 for 137 yards. You cannot play that poorly and expect your team to even come close to winning the ball game.
There was absolutely nothing good about the offense in the loss to Michigan. This was a unit that was really not that good throughout the year and then they got totally exposed by a dominant defense.
The defense throughout the year was considered a good one, but when push came to shove, they did not show up. They had no answers for the Wolverine’s offense at all. Things will not get any easier when they face a dynamic offense in the Wildcats.
Kentucky Wildcats
Man, was I impressed with the way this Kentucky team played this year. They may not be getting a ton of talk and credit, but they definitely deserve it. Mark Stoops has done a helluvajob with this program.
The Wildcats ended their regular season by beating their in-state rival, the Louisville Cardinals by a score of 52-21. That must have felt sweet to beat them by as much as they did.
Will Levis was 14/18 for 149 yards in the game over Louisville. You may think of a lot of other quarterbacks in the SEC before you think of his name, but he had a very impressive season. I think this kid has a bright future.
Levis was an absolute threat with his legs in their last game. He finished the day with 14 carries for 113 yards with 4 touchdown runs. Also, Chris Rodriguez had 16 carries for 121 yards with 1 touchdown. If they can run the ball like that in the Citrus Bowl, it is going to be a long day for that Iowa defense.
I really liked the way this team played defense all year long. Everyone always thinks of Georgia as having a great defense in the SEC, but you have also got to include this group.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- The total has gone over in 4 of Iowa’s last 5 games.
- Iowa is 16-3 SU in their last 19 games.
- Iowa is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games this season.
- Kentucky is 9-3 SU in their last 12 games this season.
- Kentucky is 10-0 SU in their last 10 games when playing as the favorite.
- The total has gone over in 4 of Kentucky’s last 5 games played on a Saturday.
Free 2022 Citrus Bowl NCAA Football Analysis
To me, this has the chance to be a sneaky good bowl game. It is a very interesting matchup.
In this spot, I am going with Iowa at +2.5.
4* Citrus Bowl NCAA Betting Pick:
Look, I do feel that Kentucky is the better team here and I like them to win the game.
I think Iowa can keep it close and that is because of their defense. This unit is very opportunistic and they do a great job of forcing turnovers. It just so happens that Kentucky has a bad habit of turning the football over.
I can see this being a very close game. I do not think one side is so much better than the other that it turns into a blowout. I look for the Wildcats to win a hard-fought, close game, but for the Hawkeyes to cover as a 2.5 point dog.
Give me the Hawkeyes getting points in the Citrus Bowl.
4* Free Citrus Bowl NCAA Betting Pick: Iowa +2.5
If you’re looking for more picks like this Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Kentucky Wildcats we’ll be providing 4* free College football game predictions on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free CFB Football picks!
Register here for a FREE NCAA Football Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!