Purdy good chance ISU will solve Iowa
VSiN’s college football expert dives into some betting angles for three games on Saturday’s slate.
Iowa at Iowa State: The Cy-Hawk Trophy is being contested for some higher stakes this year; even “ESPN GameDay” is showing up for the festivities. The hype was almost squelched last week when Iowa State struggled past FCS foe Northern Iowa, but that has happened before previous games against Iowa. The Cyclones invariably look ahead and the Panthers treat the clash like the storming of the Bastille.
Matt Campbell is still looking for his first win in what will be his fifth try against Kirk Ferentz, but we doubt the Cyclones will self-destruct against Iowa the way Indiana did last week, when quarterback Michael Penix got careless and was burned for a couple of picksixes by cornerback Riley Moss that distorted the score.
With a career 62-25 touchdown-interception ratio, veteran Cyclones QB Brock Purdy is unlikely to immolate in the same manner and seems more likely to fire the winning shots than Iowa counterpart Spencer Petras, only 13 of 27 against the Hoosiers after posting modest stats a year ago. This looks to be Campbell’s best chance to break the Hawkeyes’ recent hex in Ames.
UAB at Georgia: Though UAB has more than held its own since returning to the gridiron under Bill Clark in 2017, the Blazers have not stepped up especially well, posting 0-4 straight-up and spread marks against Power 5 opposition. UAB has been careful not to overschedule, including just one nice payday game per season against a Power 5 foe.
This might be the toughest challenge yet facing a Georgia bunch still overflowing with confidence after Saturday’s
10-3 grinder over Clemson set the Dawgs in position for a straight run at the College Football Playoff. A Georgia defense that sacked D.J. Uiagalelei seven times and effectively rendered Dabo Swinney’s offense helpless should be able to put the clamps on UAB.
Clark, however, does have QB Tyler Johnston III back and healthy after injuries limited him a year ago, and he completed 17 of 21 in a dart-throwing exhibition last week against nearby Jacksonville State. The question is whether the Bulldogs’ offense, which didn’t do much behind JT Daniels against Clemson, will find the Blazers an easy enough test to clear the considerable line hovering near four touchdowns.
Washington at Michigan: Washington has been getting all sorts of hype on the Pacific Coast despite playing only four games last season and skipping the Pac-12 title game due to COVID-19 issues. But after the shocking loss to Montana in last week’s opener, the jury remains out on hyper second-year coach Jimmy Lake, who was envisioned as a seamless transition from former mentor Chris Petersen.
Lake needs to bring his offense into the Husky Stadium garage for a tune-up. It did little after scoring an early touchdown against the Grizzlies, with QB Dylan Morris tossing three interceptions and the rushing attack held to 53 yards. Jim Harbaugh is still kicking at Ann Arbor, and a revived Michigan ground game pounded out 335 yards in a romp past Western Michigan in the opener. But we’ve seen the Wolverines start fast in recent years against foes they can push around, only to fall flat against top-level opposition. But the question for this one at the Big House is: Can the Huskies be considered top-level opposition?