Iowa plus 1 at Nebraska 

Is this some sort of shell game with the oddsmaker making Nebraska a favorite against Iowa? 

Maybe I’m a sucker then but I’ll put my 11-4 Big Ten Conference record on the line by taking the underdog Hawkeyes. 

The 16th-ranked Hawkeyes are 9-2 and alive for the Big Ten Conference West Division title. 

Nebraska is 3-8 and has lost its last five games. This will be the fourth consecutive season the Cornhuskers don’t make a bowl game. That hasn’t happened in 40 years. Bob Devaney has to be turning over in his grave. Perhaps even more depressing is Scott Frost will return as the Cornhuskers coach next season. 

Iowa surrenders the ninth-fewest points in the country at 16.9. They rank 13th in defensive total yards yielding 314.7 per game. The Hawkeyes also hold a huge edge in special teams against Nebraska. 

The Cornhuskers’ advantage is supposed to be on offense. However, QB Adrian Martinez, the school’s career total yardage leader, has been ruled out due to a shoulder injury suffered against Wisconsin last week. Replacing Martinez is freshman Logan Smothers, who has thrown 11 passes. Smothers faces an elite defense here. He’s not likely to have good starting field position either. 

Iowa made a quarterback change a couple of weeks ago going from Spencer Petras to Alex Padilla. Neither is going to generate any Heisman talk, but Padilla probably is the better QB. The Cornhuskers have another key injury, linebacker JoJo Domann. He’s probably their best defensive player. Minus Domann, who has a hand injury, the Cornhuskers gave up a season-high 35 points to a Wisconsin team that was averaging 24.5 points per game entering the matchup discounting a 52-point performance against Rutgers. 

So I see no reason why Iowa shouldn’t beat Nebraska for the seventh straight time. 

(I am 26-8 on my college football totals this season and have a CFB totals play today in addition to this free selection. I also have my NBA Game of the Month today. I am 30-14 on my NBA Games of the Week/Month/Year plays. I also am 11-2 on my last 13 NFL plays. If you are interested in obtaining my picks through my sports service, please email me at scriber26@gmail.com, or message me via Twitter. )

Best of luck and no bad beats! 

 

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