How and what to watch for Iowa vs. Purdue

The Iowa Hawkeyes and Purdue Boilermakers will play their first games of the season on Saturday afternoon when they meet in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Iowa is coming off a season in which it finished 10-3 with one-score losses to Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes went through a bit of a controversial offseason, which resulted in the departure of strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, but the 2020 version of the team is intriguing. Iowa has a very deep wide receiver corps with four players who can be trusted. Three-year starter Nate Stanley ran out of eligibility, and Spencer Petras will be the next quarterback in line for the Hawkeyes.

Purdue is coming off a 4-8 season that saw plenty of injuries to key pieces on the roster. The Boilermakers will start off in a similar position with star wide receiver Rondale Moore, who opted back into the season after an opt out, but he will will not appear in this game. Plus head coach Jeff Brohm tested positive for the coronavirus, so the Boilermakers will be without their coach and best player for the season opener.

Iowa snapped a two-game losing streak in this series with a 26-20 victory over Purdue last season at home.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Iowa vs. Purdue Saturday, October 24th at 3:30 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network, and you can stream it via the Fox Sports Go app with a cable or streaming login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Iowa (-3.5) vs. Purdue
Point Total: O/U 52
Money line: Iowa (-175), Purdue (+135)

• The point total went under in eight of Iowa’s last 12 games.
• Iowa is 6-1 straight up in its last seven games.
• Purdue is 4-1 against the spread in its last five games against Iowa.
• Purdue is 7-1 against the spread in its last eight games.

The Best Bet

Purdue dealt with plenty of injuries last season and struggled to a 4-8 season. With the Boilermakers already starting out with issues with Moore and Brohm being out for the season opener, let’s go with the Hawkeyes to cover this spread on the road. Also keep in mind, the Big Ten is not allowing fans in stadiums, so home-field advantage won’t be an issue for Iowa.

Pick: Iowa -3.5

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