Iowa vs Rutgers Prediction, Pick & Odds for Friday Night Football

• The Iowa Hawkeyes are 2.5-point road favorites when they visit the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
• Rutgers is looking for a 4-0 start for a second consecutive season
• Read below for Iowa vs Rutgers prediction, pick and odds for Friday night CFB

---

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-0-0, 2-1-0 ATS) are looking to start 4-0 in consecutive seasons. To do it, they’ll need to beat the Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1, 1-1-1 ATS), a school they’ve never beaten in their school history.

It appears the books believe in that trend, making Iowa a road favorite in the college football odds.

Action gets underway tonight at 8 pm ET from SHI Stadium in Piscataway, NJ, with FOX broadcasting the game.

Check below for my Iowa vs Rutgers prediction.

Iowa vs Rutgers Odds

The Scarlet Knights are 2.5-point home underdogs, and sit at +105 on the moneyline. Iowa is only a slight favorite on the moneyline at -125, while the total sits at 46.5 points.

The Scarlet Knights have cleared the over with ease in each of their first three games this season.

Odds as of September 19 at 3pm ET. Be sure to check out the best BetMGM bonus code before placing a bet on any Week 4 College Football matchup.

Hawkeyes Have Struggled Offensively

There are slow starts, then there is what South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski is going through.

The senior quarterback had thrown for under 85 yards in each of his first two starts before finally showing some life in a 47-7 win over UMass, going 16-for-24 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. To be fair, he has also rushed for a score in every game.

But the rest of the running game will be dealt a blow, as Xavier Williams, the team’s leading rusher, has been ruled out. While there is no official report yet, it is believed he has a shoulder injury.

On the plus side, running back Kamari Moulton (shoulder) will return after missing the last two games. Iowa is sixth in the Big Ten in rushing, churning out 214 yards per game.

But the team is near the bottom of the conference in total yards, 16th of 18 teams at 335.7 yards per game, as that passing attack is barely netting 120 yards per contest.

Rutgers Rolling Up Big Wins

Yes, they’ve had a light schedule, but Rutgers has been wearing out scoreboard light bulbs en route to a 3-0 start.

They’ve been throwing the ball with regularity and success. Senior pivot Athan Kaliakmanis is sizzling, completing 72.9% of his passes, while throwing for seven TDs and no interceptions in three games.

He went for 309 yards and a TD in Rutgers’ 60-10 rout of Norfolk, and they are averaging 46.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten, though it’s come against the Spartans, Miami (OH) and Ohio.

They’re balanced out by a run game headed by sophomore Antwan Raymond. He’s averaging 5.8 yards a tote and has led the team in rushing in every game, running for 248 yards and five touchdowns.

The Scarlet Knights average 164.7 rush yards per contest. It’s not in the Big Ten’s Top 10, but it’s enough to keep defenses honest.

Iowa vs Rutgers Prediction

• Pick: Under 46.5 points (-115 at BetMGM)

Rutgers is going to feel the level-up Friday on the defensive end, where I believe Iowa is strongest. They are allowing just 10 points per game, and rank inside the Top 4 in both rush yards (57.7) and pass yards (120.3) allowed.

While the Scarlet Knights have hit the Over in every game this season, the Hawkeyes have not allowed an opponent to hit the 14-point plateau all season — and that includes a matchup with 16th-ranked Iowa State.

Perhaps the scariest part of this bet is that Rutgers is second-last in the Big Ten in points allowed at 24 per game, but the Iowa offense under Gronkowski is a work in progress, and while the score may pull close to 46.5, it should still stay under.