Week 1 slate
Week 1Sat, Sep 5 · 4:15 PM ETKinnick Stadium, Iowa CityFinal
Northern Illinois
NIU · 0-0
0
Final
#22Iowa
IOWA · 0-0
40
Final
Model called it
Spread
IOWA -31.5
Moneyline
N/A
Total
O/U 44.5
Weather
N/A
Venue
Kinnick Stadium · Iowa City
Kickoff
Sat, Sep 5 · 4:15 PM ET
Final
NIU 0 / IOWA 40
From the booth
The model favored IOWA to win, and the call landed.
Iowa's got this one locked down at 96 percent, and you can see why, folks. The Hawkeyes are a 31.5-point favorite here, and the betting market's not even close to disagreeing with that spread. Yeah, Northern Illinois has shown some decent defensive numbers over their last five, but it's not nearly enough to overcome the talent gap and the home-field advantage in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes are the clear-cut favorites to take care of business.
Why the model leans IOWA
- Favors Iowa: IOWA+0.08Vegas point spread
- Favors Iowa: IOWA+0.02Betting-market win probability
- Favors Northern Illinois: NIUDefensive EPA/play allowed, last 5 games