The Wyoming Cowboys have more of a target on their backs now that they have managed to win the Mountain West Mountain Division last year. They were outfoxed by San Diego State in the league championship game, but they made significant forward strides under head coach Craig Bohl, who has clearly turned around the program. Can Wyoming build on last season’s successes?
A first big test comes in Week 1 of the 2017 season, as the Cowboys travel to the Midwest to take on an Iowa team which is trying to re-establish itself after a 2016 season which did not flow in the right direction. Iowa had a lot of proven players returning to the lineup after a Rose Bowl season in 2015. Many thought the Hawkeyes would continue to be an elite team, but that did not happen. Iowa has to turn the page this season, and a win over Wyoming would do much to re-create the sense that everything is possible for this program to achieve.
Details
Odds: Hawkeyes -11.5
Date & Time: Saturday, September 2nd – 12:00 PM ET
Location: Kinnick Stadium – Iowa City, Iowa
Broadcast: Big Ten Network
Reasons To Bet On The Wyoming Cowboys
The Cowboys have Josh Allen, while Iowa is starting over at quarterback. Allen has an NFL-level arm. The rest of his game needs work, but he owns a lot of raw physical tools many other quarterbacks lack. Allen will almost definitely be a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was the main reason Wyoming enjoyed a breakthrough season last year. He can make a lot of plays on his own that will lift the Cowboys through tough situations in this game and in difficult spots throughout the season.
Meanwhile, Iowa will break in a new quarterback in this game. The Hawkeyes had C.J. Beathard at the helm of their offense the past few seasons, but now they have to turn to someone new. This transition invites inconsistency from the offense. Iowa might be solid on offense a month from now, but it is reasonable to think that the Hawkeyes will struggle in this specific game.
Reasons To Bet On The Iowa Hawkeyes
The Wyoming Cowboys did not have a great defense last year and will continue to be challenged this season. San Diego State, which beat Wyoming in the Mountain West Championship Game, was able to run the ball effectively, and Iowa is equipped to do the same. Iowa has an excellent running back group led by Akrum Wadley, a veteran player who has demonstrated his versatility and effectiveness the past two seasons. By running the ball effectively, Iowa can keep Allen off the field and play this game with the tempo it wants. Defense is a big deficit for Wyoming, and Iowa is in a position to exploit that particular weakness. Playing at home should magnify Iowa’s strengths.
Outlook
We’ve seen this betting line move around quite a bit, but the bottom line is that the action has been on Wyoming. We saw them open at -13.5 but the line quickly jumped down to 12.5 as bettors felt there was great value there. It has since come down even further to +11.5, which is where it sits now. As for the total, it opened up at 53.5 before climbing as high as 55.5. However, the line has gone in the opposite direction since, dropping as low as 49, before settling on the 50.5 number that it’s at right now. Clearly, there are some split opinions on the over under for this contest.
The fact that Iowa has dependable and historically productive running backs certainly bodes well for the Hawkeyes, who should be able to win this game outright. However, Iowa’s quarterback situation is uncertain enough, and Josh Allen of Wyoming is good enough, to make this a relatively close game. Iowa will probably not cover the number, but they should end up winning the game. That being the case, take the points with the Cowboys in this spot.
Prediction: Cowboys +11.5
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