Iowa vs. Rutgers Prediction, Odds & Picks: Including best bets on Iowa, and Athan Kaliakmanis
Two unranked Big Ten squads will square off on Friday night, and we’re here to deliver our Iowa vs. Rutgers prediction for the conference showdown as part of our college football picks series. The action gets underway at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J., at 8 p.m. ET (FOX).
Iowa is a 2.5-point betting favorite for this road matchup. Make sure to check out the rest of our college football predictions for Week 4 so that you don’t miss any winning plays, including a player prop for quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis.
🏈 Iowa vs. Rutgers prediction to win
College football expert picks for Friday; odds subject to change.
- Moneyline pick: Iowa ML (-125 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Against the spread pick: Iowa -2.5 (-108 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
- Over/Under pick: Under 46.5 (-108 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐
📝 Iowa vs. Rutgers best bet
Track the latest college football scores for line movement and matchup info.
⚫️ Iowa Moneyline (-125) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Iowa should go on the road and roll Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights may look as good as we’ve seen them offensively, but their base nickel defense can’t stop the run. Rutgers ranks 128th in yards allowed per rush attempt this year (6). With Iowa ranked 37th in rushing play percentage (56.8%), that’s a likely outcome-determinative problem.
Rutgers’ defense is run by co-coordinators Zach Sparber and Robb Smith. Neither has experience as a defensive line coach. The team is now in the bottom quintile for defensive line yards and is below average in stuff rate. Worse, Rutgers ranks as a bottom-10 program in second-level yards. That’s an issue versus an Iowa offense that ranks as a top-10 program in line yards.
Mobile quarterbacks have been a huge issue for the Scarlet Knights. While Mark Gronowski isn’t as mobile as Dequan Finn or Parker Navarro, he scampered for 380 rushing yards at FCS South Dakota State last year. Lock in Iowa to win at -125 (55.6%) at DraftKings to score an $8.00 profit on a $10 bet.
💰 Best Iowa vs. Rutgers player prop pick
Our college football player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.
⬇️ Athan Kaliakmanis Under 214.5 passing yards (-114) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
It’s difficult to get excited about Kaliakmanis and the Rutgers offense in this matchup. For one, the Iowa defense is elite every year. This season is no exception – the unit is eighth in the Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI), and, importantly for our purposes, ninth in yards allowed per pass attempt (4.6).
But the single most important factor pushing me to the under for this prop is Iowa’s familiarity with Kaliakmanis. Head coach Kirk Ferentz recruited him in high school. Then, after he committed to Minnesota, Iowa played him twice. Kaliakmanis tallied 87 passing yards in his first meeting with Iowa. He tallied 126 in his second.
While the now-senior is a much better player, he isn’t so good as to warrant a 200-plus passing yard prop line against Iowa, especially when his defense can’t stop the run and will likely let Iowa control the pace. Back Kaliakmanis for under 214.5 passing yards for -114 (53.3%) at FanDuel to score an $8.77 profit on a $10 bet.
📊 Iowa vs. Rutgers odds: Week 4
Iowa vs. Rutgers odds update live in real time.
📈 Iowa vs. Rutgers opening odds
- Moneyline: Iowa -114 | Rutgers -105
- Spread: Iowa -1.5 (-105) | Rutgers +1.5 (-127)
- Over/Under: Over 42.5 (-110) | Under 42.5 (-112)
🔍 Iowa vs. Rutgers odds analysis
After opening at Iowa -1.5, the spread has shifted to Iowa -2.5. While it’s always hard to trust Iowa to cover, as they don’t score a lot of points, the field-goal threshold feels acceptable. Still, I’d rather just play the moneyline, which has moved slightly from -114 to -125 at DraftKings and -130 elsewhere. I don’t foresee much further movement.
The total is another matter. After opening at 42.5, it’s increased by a whopping four points to 46.5. I don’t see the vision there. While the Rutgers offense is humming, the corresponding movement in the spread suggests it’s Iowa’s offense that will contribute most of the extra points. Since I foresee a run-heavy game plan, I can’t get excited about an Iowa game over at 46.5. Don’t be surprised if the total shifts down before kickoff.
🔢 Iowa vs. Rutgers key stats
Season stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
| Iowa | Statistic (per game) | Rutgers |
|---|---|---|
| 31.3 | Points | 46.3 |
| 10 | Points allowed | 19.3 |
| =- | Turnover margin | +3 |
| 121.7 | Passing yards | 296.3 |
| 214 | Rushing yards | 164.7 |
| 120.3 | Passing yards allowed | 194 |
| 57.7 | Rushing yards allowed | 148.7 |
| 5.0 | Net yards per play | 6.5 |
📺 Iowa vs. Rutgers game info
- When: Friday, Sept. 19
- Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
- Where: SHI Stadium (Piscataway, N.J.)
- How to watch: FOX
❓ Iowa vs. Rutgers FAQs
Who is favored to win Iowa vs. Rutgers?
Iowa is a slight betting favorite at -125 (55.6%) to win Friday’s matchup despite playing on the road.
What is the spread for Iowa vs. Rutgers?
The spread for Iowa vs. Rutgers is Iowa -2.5 after opening at Iowa -1.5.
What is the Over/Under for Iowa vs. Rutgers?
The over/under for Iowa vs. Rutgers sits at 46.5 after opening at a lowly 42.5.
What are the best bets for Iowa vs. Rutgers?
[The best bets for Iowa vs. Rutgers are Iowa moneyline and Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to stay under 214.5 passing yards.
When is the Iowa vs. Rutgers game?
Friday’s Iowa vs. Rutgers game gets underway at 8 p.m. ET (FOX).
How do college football odds work?
When betting on college football, the point spread shows how many points the favorite needs to win by in order to cash the bet. For example, a favorite of -3 must win by more than 3 points to cover the spread, while an underdog at +3 must win outright or lose by fewer than 3 points to cover the spread.
Moneyline odds represent the payout for picking the outright winner (+200 means a $100 bet wins $200, while -200 means a $200 bet wins $100). Over/Unders let you wager on whether the combined total will be higher or lower than the set number.
You can determine the payouts and implied probabilities for any wager - or convert odds to different formats - with our odds converter.
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission.
Related Articles
