The Western Michigan Broncos and Iowa Hawkeyes face off on Saturday in a Week 3 college football showdown at Kinnick Stadium.
Is This the Game Iowa Impresses?
Iowa comes into this game with a 2-0 record overall but neither of the games were they all that impressive. In the first game of the season, Iowa faced off against Utah State and they were able to secure a 24-14 victory. In the last game against Iowa State, Iowa was able to secure 20-13 victory. All the talk heading into this season was about how the offense was going to be so much better with Cade McNamara under center, but this offense is still a big issue. In the last game, he completed 12 of his 22 passes for 123 yards, one interception. Jaziun Patterson completed 10 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. In this game, the offense needs to find a way to get going early.
Iowa Betting Trends
- Iowa has won 12 of its last 13 games against non-conference opponents at Kinnick Stadium.
- Iowa has covered the spread in nine of its last 11 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Iowa has won the first quarter in each of its last four home games against non-conference opponents.
- Iowa has won the first half in each of its last four games against opponents from the Mid-American Conference.
- Each of Iowa's last seven home games in September have gone UNDER the total points line.
Can Western Michigan Bounce Back?
Western Michigan faced off against St Francis in the first game and they were able to secure the 35-17 victory. Jack Salopek completed 18 of his 26 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In the last game against Syracuse though, the offense really struggled scoring only seven points, but even worse was the defense. The defense gave up 48 points and that led to the defeat. In that game, Salopek completed 15 of his 22 passes for 110 yards and an interception. The defense will need to be better in this game, but even more important will need to be the offense. If the offense doesn’t get going in this game, this is going to be a very long game.
Western Michigan Betting Trends
- Western Michigan has lost each of its last six games against AP-ranked teams.
- Western Michigan has failed to cover the spread in nine of its last 10 September games as an underdog.
- Western Michigan has lost the first half in each of its last six games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference.
- Each of Western Michigan's last six games as an underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.
Iowa vs Western Michigan Facts
- Iowa ranked 4th among FBS teams for Q2 points allowed per game last season (3.8).
- Iowa ranked T4th among FBS teams for H1 points allowed per game last season (7.0).
- Western Michigan was one of only 26 FBS teams to win 2+ games when trailing after Q3 last season.
- Western Michigan ranked T28th among FBS teams for H2 points allowed per game last season (10.6).
Shane’s Free Pick
This total is too high. Western Michigan really struggled to score in the last game and they are going to have some major issues getting the offense going in this game. This is a game where Western Michigan won’t have more than seven points scored. I’m also not sold on Cade McNamara being the answer for Iowa. In this game, Iowa is also going to struggle to move the ball and they are going to finish with 28 points or less. This is a game that Iowa should score at least 42 points, but they won’t even get close to that mark. Back the under to cash here with ease.