Saturday’s Big Ten slate will feature the No. 24 Iowa Hawkeyes heading to Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA, to face the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions. Kickoff for this ranked showdown in Happy Valley is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on CBS. This will be the annual ‘White Out Game’ for PSU, so the environment should be electric for this night kickoff.
Iowa (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) acquitted itself well through the non-conference portion of its schedule, capping it with a 41-10 blowout of Western Michigan last Saturday. The Hawkeye running backs were explosive as Leshon Williams had 12 carries for 145 rushing yards while Kamari Moulton punched in two touchdowns. For those needing a Brian Ferentz update, the team’s 41-point output put him above the firing line as the Hawkeyes are now averaging 28.3 points per game.
Penn State (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) started conference play off on the right foot last Saturday with a 30-13 road victory over Illinois. The offense was pedestrian throughout the afternoon, but the story was the defense forcing several turnovers throughout the afternoon. The picked off Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer four times and also recovered a fumble in the win.
SP+ Rankings
Iowa: 28 overall, 81 offense, 1 defense
Penn State: 9 overall, 21 offense, 4 defense
Injury update
Iowa
RB Jaziun Patterson – Out (Undisclosed)
TE Luke Lachey – Out for season (Ankle)
WR Jacob Bostick – Questionable (Foot)
WR Reese Osgood – Questionable (Undisclosed)
DL Chris Reames – Questionable (Undisclosed)
OL Asher Fahey – Questionable (Undisclosed)
RB Kaleb Johnson – Questionable (Undiclosed)
Penn State
WR Harrison Wallace III – Probable (Undisclosed)
RB DK Kency – Questionable (Undisclosed)
DE Mason Robinson – Questionable (Undisclosed)
OL Ian Harvie – Questionable (Undisclosed)
S Jashuan Green – Questionable (Undisclosed)
WR Tyler Johnson – Questionable (Undisclosed)
WR Malick Meiga – Questionable (Undisclosed)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023
Iowa: 2-1 ATS
Penn State: 3-0 ATS
Total in 2023
Iowa: Over 1-2
Penn State: Over 2-1
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Penn State -14.5
Total: 38.5
Moneyline: Penn State -675, Iowa +490
Opening line: Penn State -14
Opening total: 41.5
Weather
52 degrees, periods of rain, 10 MPH winds NE with 18 MPH wind gusts
The Pick
Iowa +14.5
Penn State is understandably a favorite at home for the the White Out game, but 14.5 is a bit much against the nation’s top defense in SP+. Rainy and windy conditions should make for some sloppy play in this game and that’s right up the alley for Iowa football. I’m taking the Hawkeyes to cover in what should be a tight, defensive battle.