I am going to move on to the Week of Sept 18th now. This will probably be the final week I look at, as the season will have moved on after this week, and information not known at this time should be known by then. Both teams should be 2-0 going into this game, with Iowa having played at home against Eastern Illinois and Iowa State (though Iowa State could be a bit of a problem), and Arizona having played at Toledo and home against the Citadel. Both of these teams are considered contenders to win their respective conferences, but neither is favored to do so.
Iowa returns 6 starters on offense, including QB Stanzi and RB Hampton, but those two are coming off of injuries. Iowa also loses 4 of it's 5 starting lineman, and 6 out of their 10 two deep. They will have to rebuild the front line. ON defense, Iowa returns 8 starters. They are very solid up front, but lack depth. They should be solid at safety, but again, injuries could be a problem. The LB positions need a bit of work. Still, this unit held a very explosive Ga. Tech offense to just 14 points in the Orange Bowl. That speaks volumes for this group.
Arizona was an overtime away from going to the Rose Bowl last season. After a long drought, this team has gone to two straight Bowl Games. Arizona returns 7 starters on an offense that scored 33 or more pints 6 times last season, but was held to 21 or less 6 times also. The offense looked "sloppy" this spring, but waslimited to vanilla plays by HC Stoops. The defense returns only 4 starters, but should be strong along the front line. The back 7 will need a lot of work. This team gae up 28 or more points 6 times last season.
From a wagering standpoint, unless the wheels fall off in weeks one and two for either one of these teams, look for Iowa to be a 3-6 point away favorite. Arizona is a very good home dog, sporting 5-0 ATS record in the past 3 years. It should be noted that all of those games were against Pac 10 competition. Iowa handled Arizona in Iowa City last year, winning and covering in a game that was a lot closer than the 10 point Iowa win would indicate. Iowa is 16-7-1 ATS in the past two seasons, a complete reversal from the previous 3 seasons. They are an excellent road team, having gone 10-1 ATS in the past two years on the road. Something is bound to give here. Both of these teams will be looking to make a statement before they start of their conference seasons. Both of these teams play 4 out of their first 5 games at home, but finish with 4 out of their last 7 games away. It's the Big 10 vs the Pac 10. This is definately a statement game. If the line is right, we are looking for Iowa to make the biggest staement.
Iowa returns 6 starters on offense, including QB Stanzi and RB Hampton, but those two are coming off of injuries. Iowa also loses 4 of it's 5 starting lineman, and 6 out of their 10 two deep. They will have to rebuild the front line. ON defense, Iowa returns 8 starters. They are very solid up front, but lack depth. They should be solid at safety, but again, injuries could be a problem. The LB positions need a bit of work. Still, this unit held a very explosive Ga. Tech offense to just 14 points in the Orange Bowl. That speaks volumes for this group.
Arizona was an overtime away from going to the Rose Bowl last season. After a long drought, this team has gone to two straight Bowl Games. Arizona returns 7 starters on an offense that scored 33 or more pints 6 times last season, but was held to 21 or less 6 times also. The offense looked "sloppy" this spring, but waslimited to vanilla plays by HC Stoops. The defense returns only 4 starters, but should be strong along the front line. The back 7 will need a lot of work. This team gae up 28 or more points 6 times last season.
From a wagering standpoint, unless the wheels fall off in weeks one and two for either one of these teams, look for Iowa to be a 3-6 point away favorite. Arizona is a very good home dog, sporting 5-0 ATS record in the past 3 years. It should be noted that all of those games were against Pac 10 competition. Iowa handled Arizona in Iowa City last year, winning and covering in a game that was a lot closer than the 10 point Iowa win would indicate. Iowa is 16-7-1 ATS in the past two seasons, a complete reversal from the previous 3 seasons. They are an excellent road team, having gone 10-1 ATS in the past two years on the road. Something is bound to give here. Both of these teams will be looking to make a statement before they start of their conference seasons. Both of these teams play 4 out of their first 5 games at home, but finish with 4 out of their last 7 games away. It's the Big 10 vs the Pac 10. This is definately a statement game. If the line is right, we are looking for Iowa to make the biggest staement.