Week 10 College Football Expert Picks: Iowa At Penn State

Over the past couple of years, the Big 10 Conference has once again become a powerhouse, with Michigan and Ohio State returning to prominence in college football. Their rise has sparked a resurgence in several programs, as those teams try to keep pace in a very competitive conference. Penn State made things very interesting in the East Division when they took out Ohio State a couple of weeks ago, but they are still going to need some help to get to the top. The same rules apply over in the West, where the Iowa Hawkeyes are hanging around, but in need of some assistance to win the division. These two teams will meet at University Park on Saturday, and we are at the point of the season where this can essentially be called a Big 10 Conference elimination game. The winner of this one stays alive in the hunt for a conference championship, while the loser will need to start thinking about bowl games. The Nittany Lions come into this one as a 7.5-point online betting favorite.

Analyzing The Week 10 College Football Expert Picks: Hawkeyes At Nittany Lions

When: Saturday, November 5 at 7:30 PM Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park TV: BTN Live Stream: NCAA Live NCAAF Odds: TBA    

Why bet on the Iowa Hawkeyes

The key to success for the Iowa Hawkeyes is simple: they need to be able to effectively run the football. There have been 3 occasions when the Hawkeyes ground game was unable to break 100 yards this season, and all 3 of those games ended in defeat. The good news for Iowa is that Penn State have been susceptible to the run all season long, and have given up over 50 plays of 10 yards or more on the ground. Iowa are going to have to come out early and jam the ball down the throat of their opponent. If they can do that, they will have a legitimate shot at keeping this thing close and perhaps sneaking a win on the road.

Why bet on the Penn State Nittany Lions

There is a very good chance that we are not going to see the ball go through the air very often, as Penn State are another team that relies heavily on the run. They come into this one on a 4-game winning streak, and much of the credit for that run must go to RB Saquon Barkley who has accounted for over 500 running yards in his last 3 games. Not only are the Nittany Lions winning big games, they are also covering the spread when they do so. They have covered quite easily in all their last 3 outings.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

While Penn State have been covering the spread of late, I think they may have a more difficult time doing so here. Since the ball is going to be run a lot, we can expect the score to stay relatively low and close. Penn State gets the win, but Iowa covers.

Iowa Hawkeyes 20 Penn State Nittany Lions 24