Iowa Hawkeyes vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 1/1/2021 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Saturday, January 1, 2022

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Wildcats (-2.5)

Total/Over-Under: 45

Camping World Stadium is where the Kentucky Wildcats (9-3) will play the Iowa Hawkeyes (10-3) on Saturday in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl. Kentucky opens this game as 2.5-point favorites. The total is 45.

The Iowa Hawkeyes head into this matchup 10-3 for this season. The last time they stepped onto the field, the Hawkeyes stepped onto the field against the Michigan Wolverines and went home with a loss by a final score of 42-3. Spencer Petras connected on 9/22 with 137 yards passing. He had a QB rate of 93.2 and finished the contest with no interceptions. Tyler Goodson led the offense in rushing for the Hawkeyes with 18 totes for 50 yds (2.8 yards per attempt). In the game, they ran 71 plays which totaled 279 yards. The Iowa Hawkeyes rushed the ball a total of 33 times and accrued 104 yds, earning them an average of 3.2 yards per carry. Against the run, the Hawkeyes gave up 211 yds on 34 tries, which averages out to 6.2 yds per run surrendered. Iowa surrendered 18 completions on 28 attempts for 250 yards, and a completion rate of 64.3%.

The Hawkeyes have earned 3,870 total yards this season. When it comes to getting in the endzone, Iowa has amassed 10 touchdowns through the air and 17 rushing touchdowns. They have given the ball to the opposition 16 different times. Iowa has accrued 213 1st downs offensively, and they have been flagged for 53 infractions for 471 yds. Offensively they average 120.0 yards in the run game which has them sitting 111th in the country. When talking about putting the ball in the endzone, the Iowa Hawkeyes are sitting at 23.9 points per outing.

The Hawkeyes sit in 15th in the nation when it comes to team defense, allowing 19.2 points per contest. The opposition is running for 3.2 yards per rush and 113.8 yards on the ground per game for the campaign. During the season, they have allowed 1,479 running yards through 13 games. In terms of passing yardage, the Hawkeyes have conceded 2,770 yards which has them ranked 66th in Division 1. They have conceded 213.1 yards per game through the air and conceding a completion percentage of 55.6%. During this campaign, they have given up 326.9 yards per contest which ranks them 19th in D-1. They have yielded 16 touchdowns by air and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

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The Wildcats head into this game 9-3 this season. The last time they took the field, the Wildcats took home the win by a final score of 52-21 when they played the Louisville Cardinals. Will Levis finished the contest with 149 yds on 14/18 through the air while his QB rate was 147.3. He didn't throw any interceptions and his average yards per attempt was 8.3. Christopher Rodriguez Jr. carried the ball 16 times for 121 yds, finishing the game with 7.6 yards per attempt for Kentucky. The Wildcats finished with a total of 511 yards and they ran 68 plays (7.5 yds per play). Kentucky ran the ball for 7.4 yds per attempt, finishing the game with 362 yds on 49 attempts. Kentucky gave up 31 rush attempts for 144 yds (4.6 yards per rush). The Wildcats passing defense gave up a completion rate of 67.9%, surrendering 208 yds on 19 out of 28 through the air.

Concerning their ability to score points, the Wildcats are ranked 30th in Division 1 maintaining an average of 33.3 points per contest. For the year thus far, the Wildcats have compiled 2,700 yards via the pass as well as holding an average of 225.0 passing yards per game, which has them ranked 71st in D-1. The Kentucky Wildcats average 431.1 yards per outing, which has them sitting 41st in college football. The Kentucky offense has racked up 528 penalty yards on 60 infractions, ranking them 109th in the nation in terms of helping out the opposition.

The Wildcats are relinquishing 22.1 PPG, ranking them 32nd in the nation. Kentucky has given up a total of 1,415 yards rushing (117.9 yards per contest) as well as 11 touchdowns on the ground so far this year. Over the course of the season, they have relinquished 265 pts. They have allowed 19 touchdowns via the pass and 219.3 yards per game, which puts them in 51st in the nation. The Wildcats defense has been on the field for 743 plays, which is good for 10th in the nation.

Who will win tonight's Hawkeyes/Wildcats college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Wildcats -2.5

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