16 October 2023
Las Vegas oddsmakers don’t appear to have learned a lesson.
Last year, the over/under point total for the Gophers-Iowa game was set at 31 1/2 points — the lowest total for a Football Bowl Subdivision contest since betting lines started to be tracked in 1995, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Hawkeyes beat Minnesota 13-10 at a bitterly cold Huntington Bank Stadium last November, coming in a touchdown and two-point conversion below the over/under. The house lost money to those who didn’t see many points scored in last year’s Battle for Floyd of Rosedale.
With Minnesota and Iowa’s offenses struggling again this year, the over/under has been set a notch higher, at 32 1/2. The 24th-ranked Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) are five-point favorites over Minnesota (3-3, 1-2) for the 2:30 p.m. Saturday game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
On Monday, Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck praised the Hawkeyes’ formula to win games: play lights-out defense and strong special teams while their offense doesn’t turn ball over and grinds out some points.
“How do you go through a game and go win games based on your formula to win games, and I don’t think there is a team that does it better than Iowa,” Fleck said. “They understand who they are more than most teams. They stick to who they are more than most teams, and they beat you in every area.”
The Gophers rank 112th in the nation with 21.7 points per game; the Hawkeyes are 115th at 20.9. In Big Ten play, Minnesota is averaging 19 points per game, while Iowa is at 15.2.
At 17 degrees, last year’s Iowa-Minnesota game was the second-coldest kickoff temperature in the history of Huntington Bank Stadium. Those conditions played a role in how low-scoring it was a year ago.
Saturday’s forecast in Iowa City calls for temperatures in the mid-60s, with mostly sunny skies and an 11-mph southeast wind.
Those conditions might translate into more points than last year’s rivalry game — because, as we know, the house almost always wins.
Not sharing
Fleck provided no update on whether linebacker Cody Lindenberg or running back Darius Taylor will return from leg injuries to play against the Hawkeyes.
Lindenberg has missed all six games this season, while Taylor has missed the past two. Both key players would help Minnesota pull off a road upset of an arch rival.
When the Pioneer Press asked if Taylor and Lindenberg practiced during the bye week last week, Fleck said they were both “at” practices.
Briefly
The Gophers-Michigan State game on Oct. 28 will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. at Huntington Bank Stadium. It will air on Big Ten Network. The Spartans (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) have lost four straight games under interim head coach Harlon Barnett. Rutgers scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Michigan State 27-24 on Saturday.
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