Iowa vs. Kentucky Prediction, Preview - Winners and Whiners
Iowa vs. Kentucky Transperfect Music City Bowl Prediction
Kentucky (9-3, 5-3 SEC) will go for their second 10-win season in four years. Before that, the Wildcats hadn’t reached double-digit victories since 1977 as Mark Stoops continues to do an incredible job in Lexington. If you aren’t around a TV to watch the Citrus Bowl, you can stream the game via WatchESPN or the ESPN app if you have a cable-login subscription. If you don’t have a cable log-in, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the game. 2021 Citrus Bowl: No. 22 Kentucky Date: Saturday, January 1, 2022Kickoff time: 1 p.
Iowa vs Kentucky Prediction - Music City Bowl Betting Odds, Spreads & Picks 2022The lowest total of any bowl game is the Music City Bowl, where Iowa and Kentucky have second and third-string QBs starting. Our free college football picks, however, are scared of the low full-game total... so we're keying in on the first 15 minutes. One year after playing against each other in the Citrus Bowl, Iowa and Kentucky will square off yet again in Saturday’s Music City Bowl in Nashville.
Where To Watch Iowa vs. Kentucky in The Music City Bowl
Also, check out our full list of College football promo codes for 2022. Iowa vs Kentucky spread analysis This is such a difficult game to analyze in terms of who will win, given the fact both teams will start quarterbacks who have not thrown a single pass for their teams all season: Kentucky will roll with true freshman Destin Wade, while Joey Labas will lead the Hawkeyes.
Iowa vs Kentucky Over/Under analysis This game features the lowest total — by far — of any bowl game this year, opening at 32... and it’s gone down since then, to 31. 5. But is it too low? That’s hard to say, given that Iowa’s last seven non-conference games have gone Under, as have Kentucky’s last six games played on grass. One thing that will help the Under is how likely we are to see both teams commit to the run game. That should shorten proceedings, especially with Kentucky in possession. Iowa scored more than 14 points in five of its 10 games against Power Five teams this year, but that included Nebraska, Purdue, and Rutgers. When they faced good defenses, like Michigan and Ohio State, they scored a total of just 24 points.
How to watch No. 15 Iowa vs. No. 22 Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl via live online streamABC will host the broadcast for the 2021 Citrus Bowl matchup between the No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes and the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats. The game is set for Saturday, January 1 at 1 p. m. ET. The last time you saw Iowa (10-3, 7-2 Big Ten), the Hawkeyes were getting crushed by the Michigan Wolverines in the conference title game. Iowa is as one-sided of a football team as you’ll ever see with one of the best defenses and worst offenses in the country.
1) It ranks 30th in the nation in field goal conversion, whereas Kentucky barely makes two of every three attempts. 2) The Hawkeyes don’t turn the ball over — an area that has hurt the Wildcats much of the season. Iowa also forces nearly two per game, and one turnover deep in its own territory could be all it takes to doom Kentucky to defeat. That’s likely why Iowa is favored in this game by just under a field goal. That said, Kentucky has won each of its last four bowl games under Mark Stoops — including last year's matchup.
2022 Music City Bowl: Iowa v Kentucky Game Time TV Channel
With QB2 Padilla also in the portal, Iowa will be down to QB3 Joey Labas, who has never attempted a pass. Labas will be backed up by QB4 Carson May. WR Johnson transferred to Kansas State. LB Jacobs was a standout but got knocked out for the season with injury in September – he committed to Oregon. CB Roberts played starter snaps through four games but walked away to retain a redshirt in 2022. But it hasn’t all been bad news for the Hawkeyes. Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz says CB Cooper DeJean and TE Sam LaPorta are expected to return from injuries to play against Kentucky.
especially in the early portion of this Iowa vs. Kentucky matchup on New Year's Eve. Iowa vs Kentucky best odds Iowa vs Kentucky picks and predictions Let’s pretend for a minute that both teams were coming into this game during the regular season, fully healthy and with all their weapons. We would be talking about a woeful Spencer Petras facing Kentucky’s solid defense and Kentucky’s offensive line trying to buy time for Levis against Iowa’s terrific pass defense, which ranks 25th in yards allowed per pass and 11th in yards per game. Picture it for a moment. What do you see? I see Kentucky’s anemic offense struggling as much as it has against good teams all season, with Levis getting sacked 4+ times and the offense trying to rely on the legs of Chris Rodriguez to churn out yards.
However, viewers of last year’s game may not recognize many of the players in this year’s version. Heck, people who watched these two teams this year won’t either. Both teams have had numerous key players opt-out of the game, including projected first-round pick Will Levis for the Wildcats. In addition, Iowa will be without its starting (and backup) quarterback for the game. However, fans of defensive football should be in for a treat as two of the Top 25 defenses in the nation do battle. Will that lead to an extremely low-scoring affair, as the bowl game odds seem to expect? My free college football picks seem to think so...
The Hawkeyes managed just 13 points in a late-season win over Minnesota win and Iowa mustered just six points in a very low-scoring affair against Illinois. In fact, six of its games this year failed to reach the 30-point mark. The Wildcats were very poor against Tennessee — a team that had allowed plenty of big plays coming into that game — and against Georgia, scoring just six points in both games. While they weren’t involved in as many low-scoring games as Iowa, they weren’t often facing defenses of the Hawkeyes’ caliber, either. In-play microbetting trends for Iowa vs Kentucky The best betting sites for microbetting college football (with their odds powered by Simplebet): DraftKings Sportsbook bet365 Sportsbook Caesars Sportsbook Here are the next drive results when each team started at the 25-yard line (for all drives available to bet) for both the two-way betting market and the four-way betting market: Iowa Offensive score Yes: 7/25 (28%)Offensive score No: 18/25 (72%) Punts: 16/25 (64%)TDs: 4/25 (16%)FG attempts: 3/25 (12%)TOs: 2/25 (8%) Iowa had two drives that started at the 25 that did not have betting markets.
Iowa vs. Kentucky in Citrus Bowl: TV, live stream, kickoff time
He was No. 2 on the team with three interceptions during the regular season. Kentucky QB Will Levis (Opt-out) RB Chris Rodriguez (Opt-out) RB Kavosiey Smoke (Transfer portal) RB Ramon Jefferson (Injury) WR Chris Lewis (Transfer portal/Injury) WR Chauncey Magwood (Transfer portal) WR DeMarcus Harris (Transfer portal) WR Tayvion Robinson (Injury) TE Keaton Upshaw (Transfer portal) OG John Young (Transfer portal) OT Kiyaunta Goodwin (Transfer portal) CB Carrington Valentine (Opt-out) Kentucky will start either backup QB Kaiya Sheron or Destin Wade with QB Levis out the door to prepare for the NFL Draft. Some consider Levis a top-3 overall NFL Draft prospect. I do not – let’s return to that in the spring – but it’s indisputable that Kentucky will greatly miss him in this contest.
Can you see it? Now picture it without Levis or CRod for Kentucky, and Iowa sans Petras AND backup quarterback Alex Padilla. The remainder of Iowa’s offense is mostly intact — for whatever that’s worth — but will be without some key backups as well. That’s not to say there aren’t absences on the defensive side.
Iowa’s secondary will be missing two players who have entered the transfer portal, plus safety Kaevon Merriweather is preparing for the draft. Kentucky will also be without star cornerback Carrington Valentine. But when I look at two offenses, already struggling to score points and put together successful drives, I look at their weapons. Iowa simply doesn’t have many, and Kentucky’s weapons will have a backup quarterback trying to get them the ball — oh, and did I mention the Wildcats fired their offensive coordinator before this game? So yes, someone new is also calling plays. I see two coaches who like to limit mistakes, rely on their defenses to make plays, and will likely come out cautious with a run-first mentality in this game.
But my fear is that as the game goes along, someone — maybe multiple someones — will make a crucial mistake on offense that allows for a very short field, or even a defensive score, and somehow pushes the total into the Over realm despite the poor offenses. That’s why my favorite for this game is to take the first quarter Under.
Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. Iowa odds, picks - News Chief
Music City Bowl Odds: Iowa-Kentucky prediction, odds and pick
Kentucky | Total: 31 ATL: Iowa -6. 0 | ATT: 26 Iowa QB Alex Padilla (Transfer portal) QB Spencer Petras (Injury) RB Gavin Williams (Transfer portal) WR Arland Bruce IV (Transfer portal) WR Keagan Johnson (Transfer portal) TE Sam LaPorta (Injury) OL Josh Volk (Transfer portal) LB Jestin Jacobs (Transfer portal) CB Cooper Dejean (Injury) CB Terry Roberts (Transfer portal) S Reggie Bracy (Transfer portal) S Kaevon Merriweather (Opt-out) QB1 Petras has been shut down for the season with a shoulder injury.
Iowa vs Kentucky Prediction: Music City Bowl Odds and Picks
So again, it comes down to the defenses and the run game. Kentucky’s been susceptible this season to allowing yards on the ground, but the worst-ranked run offense in the Big Ten may not be the team to exploit that weakness. As for the Hawkeye defense, Iowa’s got a solid sack rate this year, and it allows the second-fewest yards per attempt through the air. Even if Kentucky is able to get WR Barion Brown involved in the screen game, he’s likely to get swarmed. For me, Iowa gets the edge for two reasons.
Both were first-team All-Big Ten performers in 2022. LaPorta was one of three John Mackey Award finalists. In addition to LaPorta, Iowa has been given several indications from 2023 NFL Draft prospects that they will indeed play in this game: LB Jack Campbell, CB Riley Moss and LB Seth Benson. S Merriweather, a two-star recruit who turned into a four-year contributor, was a standout starter and an all-American. He opted-out to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Then I see Kentucky’s special teams — especially the kicking unit — botching scoring opportunities. On the other side, I see Iowa’s horrible offense (ranked 100th or worse in nearly every important category) having problems against a Kentucky unit that allows a bit of rushing yards but has been terrific on the back end. Imagine that slog-fest.
Iowa vs. Kentucky prediction and odds for Music City Bowl