Free NCAA Football Prediction: Wildcats vs. Hawkeyes Odds
Looking for Northwestern Wildcats vs. Iowa Hawkeyes free picks? College football betting sees the Wildcats taking on the Hawkeyes on Saturday, October 29th at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, IO. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 9 predictions like this NW-IOW free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 9
(1-6) Northwestern Wildcats vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-4)
Date: Saturday, October 29th, 2022
Time: 3:30 pm EST
Venue: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IO
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: NW +12 | IOWA -12 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Wildcats +1000 | Hawkeyes -2000
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 37.5
The Northwestern Wildcats will travel and take on the Iowa Hawkeyes from Kinnick Stadium this Saturday on the Big Ten Network. Iowa is favored at home here as 11-point favorites, with the total opening at 37.5.
HISTORY: Iowa and Northwestern have faced off over 80 times in Big Ten play, with the Hawkeyes leading the all-time series, 52-28-2. Iowa won last years meeting, 17-12, but Northwestern has quietly won four of the last six matchups.
Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern opened the season with an upset victory over Nebraska in Ireland, but they’ve come up just a bit short in each game since. Non-conference home losses to Duke, Southern Illinois, and Miami (OH) marred a beauty start in Europe, and their struggles continues into conference play. The Wildcats put a scare on Penn State in Havvy Valley, before being humbled by Wisconsin at home. They came out of their bye and competed hard in College Park last time out.
In Week 8, Northwestern lost to Maryland, 31-24, making use of the 14-point underdog spread and improving to 3-5 against the spread this season.
Northwestern scores 18.6 points per game, while allowing 28.2 ppg.
The Wildcats went away from Ryan Hilinski after the bye and turned to Brendan Sullivan. The sophomore quarterback brought some dual threat ability to the position last weekend, scoring with both his arms and legs. Sullivan has thrown for 257 passing yards with two touchdowns to two interceptions, and rushed for 83 yards and a score through two appearances.
Evan Hull has been dynamic amongst the storm in Evanston this season. The junior running back is there best player by far, and he was able to surpass the 100-yard mark for the first since Week 3 versus Maryland, and his season-opening performances against Duke and Nebraska are all you need to see to know he’s the real deal.
Hull has rushed for 547 rushing yards with three touchdowns, and he’s caught 40 passes for 436 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Malik Washington leads the wideout core with 40 receptions for 448 receiving yards.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa has hit a wall after “jumping” out to a 3-1 start. The Hawkeyes combined for 14 points in the first two weeks, and the pedestrian offense continues to hinder any type of productive flow. Iowa competed hard versus Michigan at home but lost, and then a poor offensive effort in Champaign led to a 9-6 lost to Illinois, marking their third single-digit scoring output of the season. Unfortunately, they came close to adding to that total last weekend.
In Week 8, Iowa lost to Ohio State at the Horseshoe, 54-10, failing to make due of the 30-point underdog spread, and dropping to 3-4 ATS this season.
Iowa scores 14.1 points per game, while allowing 16.1 ppg.
It’d be harsh to pull Spencer Petras after losing to Ohio State on the road, but it’s time for a change at the position. Alex Padilla come on last weekend, and with a sample of starting experienced gained last season, there’s been rumblings to insert the junior quarterback into the starting lineup. If there’s any opponent to experiment on, it’s Northwestern.
Kirk Ferentz has a big decision to make this weekend, as the swap Petras to Padilla could potentially right the ship for this season.
The run game was a staple of what Iowa loved to do, but there’s been no push up front this season. It’s extremely uncharacteristic, and it’s absence has been glaring. Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson have split the work, but neither has had much room to operate. Williams leads the team with 267 rushing yards, while Johnson has posted an identical 260 yards.
Sam LaPorta has been one of the few lone spots on this Iowa offense. LaPorta posted season-highs of nine catches and 101 yards versus Illinois, and he gained 55 yards against OSU last weekend. LaPorta leads the team in receptions (36) and receiving yards (334).
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- NW are 3-3 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- IOWA are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Wildcats are 3-5 ATS in their last 8 road games.
- Hawkeyes are 4-4 ATS in their last 8 home games.
Free Week 9 NCAA Football Final Analysis:
Wow, we’ve got to chalk this one up as a lost season for Iowa. Trusting them to cover the margin right now is tough, but again, this is the contest to turn the tide. We saw it happen for Wisconsin in their matchup with the Wildcats, and there’s hope that a switch from Petras to Padilla may create the spark the Hawkeyes need to get something going on their homecoming day. The defense will have to show up big here.
Northwestern made the switch at QB, and saw immediate results last weekend. Sullivan added an extra element last week, and injected some life into the offense. With this being a must-win game for Iowa, it’s hard to imagine much of that momentum carries over into this weekend.
This one could be nasty, but with Iowa hoping to turn things around, let’s trust their homecoming energy and take them to lay the points here on the manageable margin here. Iowa by 12
4* Free Week 9 NCAA Betting Pick: Iowa -12
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