In his 21st year at Iowa, Kirk Ferentz is the definition of an old-school coach. He wins with defense and toughness, while the forward pass might as well be considered a trick play.
It’s often ugly with the Hawkeyes, who want to drag high-flying Penn State into a low-scoring street fight under the lights Saturday night in Iowa City. The Nittany Lions crushed their first two Big Ten opponents — Maryland and Purdue — by a combined 94-7.
The betting public always shows affection for powerful offensive teams, so a team such as Iowa rarely gets much love. In their highest-profile games, the Hawkeyes beat Iowa State 18-17 and lost 10-3 at Michigan. Senior quarterback Nathan Stanley passed for 260 yards against the Wolverines but also threw his first three interceptions of the season.
Iowa’s hideous offensive performance against Michigan is the reason Penn State opened as a four-point road favorite. That line was too high and has been bet down a point by sharp players. The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions each rank in the nation’s top five in scoring defense and total defense, but Iowa has played the tougher schedule.
When these teams met in Iowa City two years ago, a Penn State team led by Saquon Barkley was favored by 11 and pulled out a 21-19 win in the final seconds. Expect this one to go to the wire, too.
The pick: Iowa, +3.
Texas Longhorns (+10½) over Oklahoma Sooners: With opposing quarterbacks who are Heisman candidates, this Red River shootout in Dallas has the potential to be a thriller.
A major concern for the Longhorns will be their banged-up and young defensive backfield. Jalen Hurts is capable of inflicting pain. The Alabama transfer has found new life in Sooners coach Lincoln Riley’s offense. Hurts has hit on 75.2 percent of his passes for 1,523 yards and 14 touchdowns while leading the team in rushing with 499 yards and seven TDs.
Sam Ehlinger has 17 touchdown passes for Texas, a seven-point underdog in a 48-45 victory over the Sooners last year in this annual meeting at the old Cotton Bowl.
In July, the Westgate SuperBook opened the Sooners as 3-point favorites. Ehlinger and the Longhorns, who fought toe-to-toe with LSU, should be live as double-digit ’dogs.
NEVADA WOLF PACK (-2½) over San Jose State Spartans: Wolf Pack coach Jay Norvell used a bye week to shake things up and make a quarterback change after an embarrassing 54-3 loss to Hawaii. This line is showing too much respect for the Spartans, who were 17-point ’dogs in a 59-14 loss in Reno two years ago.
Last week: 2-1.
Season: 6-10-2.