12:03 pm
September 3

South Dakota State @ Iowa

Who will WIN this matchup?

South Dakota State Jackrabbits (0-0)

@ Iowa Hawkeyes (0-0)

 

Current odds:

South Dakota State Jackrabbits: (+480)

Iowa Hawkeyes: (-714)

 

• The line for this game is Iowa by 14 points.

• Iowa will look to pick up where it left off defensively when it faces South Dakota State on Saturday at Iowa City, Iowa, in the season opener for both teams. Led by linebacker Jack Campbell, Iowa finished 10-4 last season (7-2 in Big Ten play) as the defense forged the team’s hard-nosed identity.

• The Hawkeyes held opponents to an average of 19.2 points per game en route to the Big Ten West title. Over the past five years, the Hawkeyes have one of just two defenses in college football to allow 30 or more points in less than 10 percent of its games.

• Campbell, named the preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, will again be headlining the defense after leading the nation with 143 tackles, the fifth-most in a season in program history. He will have to be ready if he wants to make things easy for the offense led by quarterback Spencer Petras, who threw for 1,880 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season.

• While Petras will look to build off last season, South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski will strive to make a successful comeback after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. Gronowski was efficient in his true freshman season of 2020-21, passing for 1,565 yards with 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also ran for 577 yards and seven scores.

• Saturday’s contest will mark the first ever between the programs.

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Iowa Hawkeyes
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