Iowa at Michigan State Football Betting Lines

Written October 20, 2009 by Rock Henderson

A battle for a position atop the Big 10 conference is at stake this weekend when the 7th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. The Hawks jumped four spots in the polls after an impressive 20-10 road win at Wisconsin. After trailing 10-3 at half, Iowa rallied for 17 straight points in the second half as the defense tightened up to slow down a strong Badger team. Michigan State has run off three straight wins in conference play after losing their opener. Sparty comes off a 24-14 win at home against Northwestern and will have a raucous crowd on their side for the 6:00 pm kickoff. The most recent NCAA football lines list this game as a Pick ‘Em.

Mark Dantonio’s Spartan squad has seemed to finally find an identity midway through the season that was missing at the start. After losing three out of four to begin the year that included a home loss to Central Michigan, MSU enters Saturday’s match-up with a 3-1 conference record and with a win against Iowa would share the conference lead. Quarterback play has been a question mark for Michigan State all season long. Oklahoma transfer Keith Nichol led the Spartans to a win down the stretch against Michigan and also played the entire game in their win at Illinois. A healthy Kirk Cousins returned to his starting role against Northwestern and threw for 281 yards with his two touchdown passes going to WR Blair White. White was named Big Ten co-offensive player of the week after catching 12 balls for 186 yards a week ago. Dantonio will lean on his bruising freshman RB Larry Caper to carry much of the load against a dominate Hawkeye front seven. The main reason for the Michigan State turnaround is the improved play on the defensive end. LB Greg Jones has been wreaking havoc all season long. The junior from Ohio has totaled 85 tackles and five sacks and is making a strong case for All-American status. #53 will be a player to keep an eye on Saturday night. If you bet college football, there’s no reason not to get a $500 match bonus from BetUS this season!

Kirk Ferentz knows that his Hawkeyes have been very fortunate to start the 2009 year with seven straight wins. There have been many opportunities for Iowa to fold in the 4th quarter, but his resilient Hawks keep finding different ways to win ball games. QB Ricky Stanzi has had his issues this season, throwing eight interceptions in which three have been returned for touchdowns. The junior signal caller managed to not turn the ball over at Wisconsin which played a huge part in their 10 point win. On the year, Stanzi has thrown for over 1500 yards and 11 touchdowns but has drawn the most criticism from Hawkeye fans for his decision making at times. Red shirt freshman RB Adam Robinson continues to impress with his strong running between the tackles. A-rob has scampered for 520 yards while averaging almost five yards per carry and teams with true freshman RB Brandon Wegher to showcase the strength of the Iowa running game in what was thought to be a weakness after starter Jewel Hampton was lost for the season. The Hawkeye defense is considered across the nation as one of the best units in the country. DE Adrian Clayborn is capable of dominating a game up front and lockdown CB Amir Spivey intercepted his first two passes of the year last weekend. What makes the Hawk D so dominant is that they are able to pressure the opposing quarterback with four rushers and will drop seven into coverage as all three linebackers are capable of covering downfield.

The Hawkeyes are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games against teams with a winning record. Vegas and the public keep believing that this team is going to slip up on the road at some point. Michigan State has a fine team, but they won’t be able to match the physicality that Iowa will bring to the table. Ricky Stanzi seems to play better on the road and the Hawkeye defense should be able to stop the Spartan run game. This team finds a way to win yet again. Play: Iowa PK

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