Iowa Hawkeyes vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 12/31/2022 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Saturday, December 31, 2022

Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Wildcats (-1.5)

Total/Over-Under: 35.5

Nissan Stadium is the site where the Kentucky Wildcats (7-5) will compete against the Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) on Saturday, December 31, 2022 in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. Iowa opens this contest as 1.5-point underdogs. The total comes in at 35.5.

The Iowa Hawkeyes head into this game 7-5 for this year. In their last game, the Hawkeyes took on the Nebraska Cornhuskers and took a loss by a score of 24-17. Alex Padilla connected on 16/33 with 141 yds passing and 1 TD. He had a QB rate of 88.3 and finished the contest with 1 pick. Kaleb Johnson led the offense in rushing for the Hawkeyes with 16 attempts for 109 yards (6.8 yards per attempt). On the day, they ran 72 plays which totaled 274 yds. The Iowa Hawkeyes ended up rushing 33 times and totaled 124 yards, which earned them an average of 3.8 yards per tote. When it came to stopping the run, the Hawkeyes conceded 51 yds on 35 attempts, which is an average of 1.5 yards per rush allowed. Iowa surrendered 20 pass completions on 30 tries for 278 yards, and a completion percentage of 66.7%.

The Hawkeyes have earned 3,065 yards in total for the season. When it comes to distribution of touchdowns, Iowa has amassed 6 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns. They have surrendered the ball 17 times. Iowa has accounted for 170 first downs as a unit, and they have committed 52 infractions for 415 yds. As a team they average 97.3 yards via the ground game which has them sitting 122nd in D-1. Concerning putting points on the board, the Iowa Hawkeyes are averaging 17.9 points per game.

When talking about passing yards, the Hawkeyes are conceding 2,086 yards which ranks them 9th in college football. They have surrendered 173.8 yards per game via the pass and giving up a completion percentage of 58.5%. Overall, they are conceding 277.9 yards per game ranking them 4th in D-1. They have granted 13 touchdowns by air and 4 touchdowns via the ground game. The opposition is running for 2.9 yards per rushing attempt and 104.1 rushing yards per contest this year. Overall, they have allowed 1,249 rushing yards through 12 games. The Hawkeyes are sitting in 6th in Division 1 when it comes to team defense, giving up 14.4 points per game.

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The Wildcats head into this matchup 7-5 for this season. The last time they took the field, the Wildcats got the victory with a final of 26-13 when they faced the Louisville Cardinals. Will Levis (2 TDs) finished the contest with 188 yards on 11/19 passing while his QB rating was 175.7. He didn't toss any picks and his Y/A was 9.9. Christopher Rodriguez Jr. ran the football 24 times for 120 yards, finishing the contest with 5.0 yds per carry for Kentucky. The Wildcats finished the game with 346 yds while they ran 61 plays (5.7 yards per play). Kentucky ended up running for 3.8 yards per tote, finishing the contest with 158 yds on 42 carries. Kentucky surrendered 37 attempts on the ground for 164 yds (4.4 yds per carry). The Wildcats pass defense allowed a completion percentage of 63.0%, relinquishing 145 yds on 17 out of 27 passing.

In terms of how much they score, the Wildcats are ranked 106th in college football holding an average of 22.1 points per game. For the season thus far, the Wildcats have racked up 2,593 yards via the pass along with an average of 216.1 passing yards per contest, which ranks 88th in the nation. The Kentucky Wildcats have an average of 336.3 yards per game, which ranks them 107th in the country. The Kentucky offense has racked up 479 yards of penalties on 71 violations, which is good for 73rd in college football in terms of helping out the opposition.

The Wildcats are surrendering 19.1 PPG, which has them 12th in college football. Kentucky has given up a total of 1,762 yards on the ground (146.8 yards per contest) in addition to 16 touchdowns by way of the ground game on the season. In total, they have given up 229 pts. They have surrendered 10 touchdowns through the air and 173.4 yards/outing, which puts them in 7th in college football. The Wildcats defense has taken the field for 732 plays, which is good for 11th in college football.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Wildcats -1.5

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