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The Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis, MN. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Iowa is favored by -6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -265. The total is set at 40.5 points.
Here’s my Iowa vs. Minnesota prediction and college football pick for Saturday, October 24, 2026.
Iowa vs Minnesota Prediction
- Iowa vs. Minnesota Pick: Minnesota +7
My Minnesota vs. Iowa best bet is on the Golden Gophers to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
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Iowa vs Minnesota Odds
| Iowa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -120 | 40.5 -112o / -108u | -265 |
| Minnesota Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -102 | 40.5 -112o / -108u | +215 |
- Iowa vs Minnesota point spread: Iowa -6.5 (-120), Minnesota +6.5 (-102)
- Iowa vs Minnesota over/under: 40.5 (-112o / -108u)
- Iowa vs Minnesota moneyline: Iowa -265, Minnesota +215
Iowa vs Minnesota College Football Preview
Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Preview
Kirk Ferentz has been a model of consistency throughout his tenure in Iowa City, and the Hawkeyes have once again put together a very strong first half of the season, sitting at 5-1 and ranked No. 15 heading into Minneapolis.
The lone loss came against Ohio State, and the resume already includes a one-point win at Michigan and an impressive 41-24 road victory over Washington.
The quarterback situation has been interesting, but Jeremy Hecklinski certainly looked the part in his first start against Washington.
Hecklinski completed 14-of-19 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns against the Huskies, giving this offense a dimension it hasn't consistently had through the air.
Ferentz announced he will start once again against Minnesota.
Another key piece for the Hawkeyes' offense is RB Kamari Moulton. Moulton has rushed for 519 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per carry, and he's coming off a monster 208-yard performance against Washington.
Iowa ranks 23rd nationally in Rush Success Rate, and you'd have to imagine Ferentz is going to make Minnesota prove it can slow Moulton down before asking an inexperienced quarterback to carry the offense.
Iowa still ranks just 103rd nationally in Pass Success Rate, so this is a bit of a limited offense that could have its hands full against an always pesky Minnesota defense.
Look for the Golden Gophers to sell out somewhat to slow the rushing attack and dare Hecklinski to consistently beat them through the air.
On the other side of the ball, this is once again a very strong Iowa defense.
The Hawkeyes are allowing only 14.5 points per game and rank 36th nationally in Success Rate allowed. They completely took away Washington's rushing attack in Seattle, incredibly forcing Washington into -3 rushing yards for the game.
LB Cam Buffington leads the team with 52 tackles, while Joseph Anderson has three sacks.
There's no doubt this is a really good defense, but the Gophers are a physical team, and this will be a unique challenge on Saturday.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Betting Preview
It's been a season filled with highs and lows for Minnesota, which has kind of been the story of a lot of P.J. Fleck's tenure in Minneapolis.
There have been big wins and disappointing losses, yet every time his back is against the wall, he seems to deliver and get this team to 7-8 wins and a bowl game victory.
The Gophers were embarrassed in their last outing 41-13 at Purdue, which was particularly disappointing considering Fleck's team entered that game with some legitimate momentum.
Minnesota had previously beaten Washington in Seattle 27-24 and Michigan 20-14. Just as the Gophers bounced back from a blowout loss to Mississippi State earlier in the year with quality play, I expect Fleck's team to do the same this week, especially off of a bye.
This week also offers a ton of motivation in and of itself. Iowa has won 10 of the last 11 meetings in this rivalry and five straight trips to Minneapolis.
For a team coming off its worst performance of the season, getting the Hawkeyes at home feels like a spot where the Gophs will come out with their hair on fire.
Offensively, QB Drake Lindsey will need to be considerably sharper than he was against Purdue. He has plenty of arm talent and has thrown for 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns, but he does have five interceptions on the season.
Taking care of the football and hitting his targets when he does have receivers open down the field will be paramount in this one.
RB TJ Thomas leads Minnesota with 317 rushing yards, but the Gophers rank just 105th nationally in Rush Success Rate. I'm not expecting them to suddenly run all over Iowa. They just need enough balance to keep Lindsey out of obvious passing situations and manufacture a few sustained drives.
Defensively, Minnesota has been inconsistent, but I do like the Gophers' ability to create some chaos. They rank 32nd nationally in defensive Havoc, and negative plays could be huge in a game in which neither offense is likely to get unlimited possessions.
The game plan will likely be to load up against Moulton, make Hecklinski prove the Washington performance wasn't a fluke and try to force a mistake or two from a young quarterback making his first start in this rivalry.
Iowa vs Minnesota Pick, Betting Analysis
This feels like a game where every point is going to matter, so I see a lot of value in the home team getting a full touchdown on the spread.
Iowa is the more consistent team right now, but I'm not convinced the Hawkeyes will have enough offense to create separation in this one.
Minnesota's defense can zero in on stopping the running game and force Iowa into difficult passing situations.
Additionally, Fleck has been very good ATS as a home underdog throughout his tenure. We've already seen that in the outright victory over Michigan earlier this year, and the upset over No. 4 Penn State back in 2019 is another prime example.
Ultimately, I expect this to be a physical, lower-scoring game where touchdowns are flat-out hard to come by.
The Gophers will come out ready to go from the jump, and I give them a real shot at pulling off the outright upset, in addition to covering this number.
Pick: Minnesota +7 (Play to +6)
