Minnesota at Iowa College Football Betting Odds
November 17, 2009
The 13th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes will look to cap off a successful season at home against a fading Minnesota Golden Gopher team in a battle for the Floyd of Rosdale. With a win, Iowa will wrap up a 10 win season and be a prime candidate to receive an at large bid to a BCS bowl. Red shirt freshman QB James Vandenburg will get his second start of the season after an impressive performance at Ohio State that almost resulted in a upset victory. Minnesota started the season 3-1, but have played .500 ball since then and stand at 6-5 overall. They have battled through injuries and inconsistent play, but still need one more win to become bowl eligible. The Golden Gophers are a 9.5 point underdog in Kinnick Stadium according to our latest college football odds.
Head coach Tim Brewster has done some nice things in his third year at the helm for Minnesota. There is plenty of talent to go around in the program, but suspect quarterback play and losing your best player to injury midway through the season are tough things to overcome. WR Eric Decker was having an All-American year with 50 catches for 758 yards and five touchdowns in eight games. He was injured in a 38-7 loss at Ohio State and needed surgery on his foot that sidelined him for the last four games. QB Adam Webber has actually taken a step back from last year’s play as the leader of the Gopher offense. As a sophomore, Weber threw for 15 touchdowns and over 2700 yards. This season has been a completely different story as he has more interceptions, 14, than his 12 touchdown passes. He is on pace to finish about 400 yards short of last year’s passing total and was held to just 94 yards through the air against South Dakota State. The running game hasn’t exactly been dynamite either as their leading rusher Duane Bennett has amassed only 371 yards on the ground, but has found the end zone six times. A win over the nationally ranked Hawkeyes will guarantee Minnesota a bowl berth and would build momentum for the 2009-2010 season. You can still get a 0 match bonus with BetUS that you can use to bet college football this season.
One of the biggest surprises in college football this year has been the resilient Iowa Hawkeyes. They ran off nine straight victories before ultimately ending their magic ride against a pesky Northwestern team. After almost pulling off a win at Ohio State as a 17 point underdog and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl, Iowa has a chance at a 10 win season. When junior QB Ricky Stanzi went down in the first half against Northwestern many Hawk fans thought that back-up James Vandenburg would lead them to victory, but he simply wasn’t ready. A full week of practice with the first team offense proved beneficial for Vandenburg and he threw for 233 yards against a very talented Ohio State defense. Getting RB Adam Robinson back from injury played a big role for the Iowa offense in last week’s game as A-Rob has ran for over 700 yards while true freshman Brandon Wegher has gained 502 yards, but did not play last week due to injury. WR Marvin McNutt has been a welcomed addition to the wide receiver core after being converted from quarterback. He is averaging over 21 yards per catch and has seven touchdown receptions. The Iowa defense has been exceptional all year long and its 19 interceptions is tied for tops in the nation. There is a lot riding on Saturday’s game as far national exposure in a BCS bowl goes and the financial aid that comes along with it.
Minnesota has a lot to play for in this game, but Iowa has much more on the line. The Golden Gophers are depleted by injuries and have struggled against top defensive teams in the Big Ten. Iowa definitely has to be considered one of those and their redshirt freshman QB should be much more effective in his second appearance at home. Grab this line before it hits 10. Play: Iowa -9.5
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