The Northern Iowa Panthers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on FS1.
Iowa is favored by -40.5 points on the spread. Northern Iowa, meanwhile, enters as a +40.5 underdog and is +8000 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 49.5 total points.
Here’s my Northern Iowa vs. Iowa prediction and college football pick for Saturday, September 19.
Northern Iowa vs Iowa Prediction
- Northern Iowa vs. Iowa Pick: Northern Iowa +40.5
My Iowa vs. Northern Iowa best bet is on the Panthers to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Northern Iowa vs Iowa Odds
| Northern Iowa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+40.5 -110 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | +8000 |
| Iowa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-40.5 -110 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | |
- Northern Iowa vs Iowa point spread: Iowa -40.5 (-110), Northern Iowa +40.5 (-110)
- Northern Iowa vs Iowa over/under: 49.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Northern Iowa vs Iowa moneyline: Northern Iowa +8000
Northern Iowa vs Iowa College Football Preview
Northern Iowa Panthers Betting Preview: Looking to Get Back
Northern Iowa is still working on a program rebuild in Year 2 under head coach Todd Stepsis. Back-to-back 3-9 seasons have made the Panthers a far cry from what this program is used to seeing in Cedar Falls.
The offensive decline has been the main issue, as the Panthers just don't have an identity on that side of the ball.
Quarterback Jaxon Dailey, the son of former Iowa linebacker Mike Dailey, has completed 71% of his passes with three touchdowns in the first two weeks of the season against Eastern Washington and Drake.
Receiver Brady McCullough has been the primary target, catching eight passes for 123 yards.
The ground attack has been a bit of a struggle, however. With Christian Collins struggling to get going, UNI ran Dailey a decent amount with minimal success.
The Panthers have retooled the offensive line, but the unit has struggled early, allowing seven sacks in two games. Pass protection could be a real issue against Iowa on Saturday, so UNI will have to run the ball on early downs.
The defense has played pretty well through two weeks, as the Panthers have held their opponents to just 2.5 yards per carry. The front has registered 16 tackles for loss, and the Havoc created has come in key situations.
This front might be in over its head this week against Iowa, so I don't expect plays to be created in the backfield nearly as often.
Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Preview: Banged Up
Iowa was fortunate to escape another installment of the Cy-Hawk rivalry with a win.
The Hawkeyes trailed, 10-0, in the second quarter, with the offense struggling badly over its first four possessions. However, a pair of scoring drives late in the second quarter evened the score at the half.
This game was a slugfest, as is typically the case when these two foes get together, but the offense wasn't proficient. Iowa’s longest rushing play netted just nine yards.
Outside of the explosiveness of receiver Tony Diaz, there was very little to talk about.
The Hawkeyes come into this one a little banged up. Running back L.J. Phillips is out, halfback Kamari Moulton is listed as day-to-day, and star tight end DJ Vonnahme is unlikely to suit up.
The Iowa defense has played very good football through the first two weeks. The Hawkeyes completely overwhelmed Northern Illinois in the opener in a game where the Huskies never threatened to score.
Last week, Iowa surrendered four explosive plays, but linebacker Cam Buffington was all over the field and ended up with 15 tackles.
The front isn't as dominant as typical Iowa defensive lines have been, which could come into play while navigating the rigors of Big Ten play, but that's unlikely to show up here.
Northern Iowa vs Iowa Pick, Betting Analysis
This line has bounced around this week and can be found with Iowa favored by between 38 and 41 points. The total comes in at 49.5. I'm going to take Northern Iowa in this game at +40.5.
Iowa comes into this game a bit banged up, and lingering questions remain regarding the high-profile quarterback battle that spilled into the opener.
Hank Brown has thrown the ball pretty well this season, and the emergence of Diaz has been really helpful. Yet, several questions at Kirk Ferentz’s most recent press conference surrounded why Jeremy Hecklinski didn’t play.
Being unsettled at the most important position on the field creates more questions than answers for an offense that's going to be missing key pieces.
Vonnahme and Phillips aren't likely to suit up in this game, and Moulton is considered day-to-day. Iowa is deep at running back and tight end, but without some of its star power, this offense will be less potent.
I wouldn't be stunned to see Addison Ostrenga, Zach Ortwerth and Thomas Meyer take on more of a role this week in the run-blocking department and for reserve running backs to receive the majority of the touches.
Diaz will see some targets come his way, but I expect this game plan to be quite conservative for Iowa’s offense.
Iowa’s defense played exceptionally well the first two weeks, but I believe this will be a game used to get plenty of depth players into the rotation. The Hawkeyes are coming off a physical game against Iowa State and have Michigan, Ohio State and Washington on deck before the bye week.
Style points are a swear word around the Iowa football facilities, and I don't imagine Ferentz opening up the playbook or running up the score against the Panthers.
I can see Dailey having some success through the air, and I wouldn't be surprised to see UNI find the end zone at least once in this game.
Northern Iowa has 70 players who grew up in Iowa, many fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing at Kinnick Stadium. This game will mean a ton more to UNI, and we should see maximum effort here.
The Hawkeyes will win this game comfortably, but I suspect a slow-burning second half with minimal Iowa scoring, keeping UNI within the number.
Pick: Northern Iowa +40.5
Northern Iowa vs Iowa Betting Trends
