Betting lines, game preview, and prediction for Iowa vs. Northwestern

Iowa is still in the mix for big things – win out, go 9-3, and be in the mix for a top bowl game – but the 32-20 loss to Michigan State last week was a stunning setback that all but ended any dreams of going to the College Football Playoff.

It gets Wisconsin at home next after this as part of a tough, but winnable November, but first it has to deal with he Northwestern defense.

The Wildcats pull of a strong 37-10 win over Maryland before getting flattened by Wisconsin 23-3 last week.

This starts a run of three road games in four around a home date against Ohio State and closing with Illinois, so, basically, see you in 2025 without a win here.

Iowa vs Northwestern Preview

Iowa vs Northwestern How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET
Venue: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
How to Watch: Big Ten Network
Iowa (4-3), Northwestern (3-4)

Why Northwestern Will Win

Iowa still can not throw well, so this will only work if the run defense is great.

After a bad game against Michigan State last week, Iowa will focus on their running game again, but the Wildcats will not give up. Wisconsin was able to get away with it, Indiana ran well, and Washington almost got to four yards per run.

But the Hawkeyes need to run really, really well. It is 4-0 when they run for 220 yards or more and 0-3 when they do not because they do not have a passing game.

And all of a sudden, the defense is beginning to fall apart. More on this at the end…

Why Iowa Will Win

Northwestern doesn’t have the offensive pop to hang around if it’s not controlling the clock, tempo, and narrative.

This isn’t hard – the team is 3-0 when holding teams to under 90 yards rushing, and 0-4 when allowing that many or more. It’s actually worse than that.

Yeah, that Northwestern run defense is nice overall, but when it won, the numbers skew even worse than the 90 yards allowed in the wins.

In the three wins the Wildcats allowed few than 60 yards on the ground. Iowa might get that on the first drive. But …

Iowa vs Northwestern: Who Will Win

Try this one.

Iowa let UCLA score 32 points and Ohio State score 35. Since the 38–14 loss to Wisconsin on November 11, 2017, it had only given up more than 31 points in two regular season games.

Four turnovers helped Northwestern score 37 points against Maryland. That was the only time all year that the Cats scored more than 31 points.

But Iowa will not look like the Iowa of the last few years. The ground game and D style will show up against the Cats, who do not have any punches.