Prime time NCAA football betting on Saturday will include a key Big Ten matchup of top contenders as the Iowa Hawkeyes host the Penn State Nittany Lions. Kickoff for the ABC telecast is set for 8:05 PM and Sbg global.com opened with Iowa as a 7 point favorite and with an over/under of 41.5.
On the Job Training
Joe Paterno has patrolled the sidelines at Penn State since 1966 and is closing in on 400 career wins. Yet Paterno has shown that he is capable of drastic change as he named freshman Robert Bolden as the starting quarterback, a move that stunned fans and handicappers alike. Bolden has been inconsistent as he learns the ropes but has a respectable 60% completion rate and a 7.3 yards per attempt average but along with that a 3/5 touchdown/interception ratio.
Struggling Offense
Bolden’s struggles are emblematic of a Penn State team that is struggling for offensive consistency. The Nits rank 67th in the nation for total yards and have had to rely on their defense, which is ranked 9th for points allowed, to get by so far.
Outclassed
Penn State was considered a darkhorse contender in the Big Ten race behind Wisconsin and Iowa as the top threat to dethrone the Ohio State Buckeyes. But in their week 2 game at Alabama they were exposed as something more close to pretender status in a 24-3 loss in which they never came close to winning the college football bet as 14.5 point dogs. The Nits are 3-1 straight up but just 1-3 against the spread with 3 of their 4 games going under the total.
Roaring Back
Iowa scored an easy NCAA football betting payout last week with a 45-0 blowout win over Ball State as 27.5 point home favorites to improve their record to 3-1 straight up and 2-2 against the spread. It was a nice rebound after their 34-27 loss at Arizona as 2.5 point road dogs in which they were done in by special team’s mistakes.
Rock Ribbed Defense
Iowa ranks number one in the nation for total defense, which does not bode well for the struggling Penn State attack. Iowa ranks a respectable 26th in the country for offense as Adam Robinson has 385 yards rushing and Richard Stanzi has passed for 999 yards.