The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Boston College Eagles will settle their differences at Yankee Stadium in the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The game is scheduled to start on Wednesday, December 27th at 5:15 p.m. EST and can be seen on ESPN. Heading into this ACC/Big Ten conference battle, the Hawkeyes are a -3 point favorite. The contest’s total also sits at 46 points.
The Iowa Hawkeyes travel into New York on the heels of a 56-14 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers to close out their season. As a result, Iowa went 7-5 on the season and 4-5 in the Big Ten Conference. Fans of the Hawkeyes were never quite sure what team they were going to get on Saturdays. Was it going to be the one that destroyed the Ohio State Buckeyes 55-24 or the one that lost to Purdue, 15-24?
The Boston College Eagles secured their berth into the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl with consecutive victories over Connecticut and Syracuse. The two wins also placed them at 7-5 for the year and 4-4 in the ACC. The Eagles are in their fourth bowl game in the last five seasons. In fact, head coach Steve Addazio is the first in program history to reach four bowl games in his first five years at the helm. This will be Boston College’s second appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl. In 2014, they lost to the Penn State Nittany Lions 31-30 in overtime.
Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5)
The Iowa Hawkeyes racked up 44 points in an overtime win over Iowa State. They also humiliated Nebraska 56-14 to wrap up the regular season. On the other hand, they also scored less than 20 points on six occasions, including in the two weeks prior to their rout of the Cornhuskers.
Quarterback Nathan Stanley led a Hawkeye offense that stayed pretty balanced in 2017. Through 12 games he did pretty well, connecting on 56 percent of his throws for 2,333 yards with 26 touchdowns and six picks. It’s no secret that Iowa would prefer to control the clock with the run. OC Brian Ferentz, the son of longtime Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, will be eager to get running back Akrum Wadley on track.
Akrum Wadley finished fifth in the Big Ten in rushing this season. The senior tailback toted the ball 230 times for just over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. The New Jersey native was spectacular in the last game against the Cornhuskers. Wadley rumbled for 159 yards and three scores in that beatdown.
The Hawkeyes passing attack was anything but explosive this season. Their leading pass catcher Nick Easley had only 50 receptions for just under 500 yards and four touchdowns. Even with the lack of production at the wideout position, Iowa still had one of the best tight ends in the nation. Noah Fant was a beast, catching 28 passes for 486 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Iowa Hawkeyes put forth a solid effort in 2017. They held their opponents to 19 or fewer points in eight of their 12 matches this year. More importantly, they also limited them to an average of just 355 yards of total offense per game. Their front seven will need a big performance against Boston College’s tailback AJ Dillon if they want to win this showdown.
Boston College Eagles (7-5)
The Boston College Eagles are one of the hottest teams in the country heading into the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The Eagles have found themselves on the winning end of things in five of their last six games. Their only loss in that stretch was to a really good N.C. State club. In fact, four of Boston College’s losses have been to Top 25 opponents (N.C. State, Notre Dame, Clemson, and Virginia Tech).
Unlike the Hawkeyes, the Eagles are a run-first team that uses the play-action pass to strike down the field. Starting quarterback Anthony Brown was average, passing for 1,367 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also scrambled for 250 yards and recorded two more scores on the ground.
The leader of the Boston College offense is running back AJ Dillon. He is one of the most electrifying in the nation. The shifty back rushed for over 200 yards twice in 2017 and also recorded two more games over 190. The ACC Rookie of the Year and a First-Team All-ACC selection is second in the nation among freshmen with 1,432 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He has also had 1,099 yards over the last six contests which is good for first in the country. His backfield mate Jon Hilliman also had a productive season, running for another 622 yards and five trips to pay-dirt. The duo is one of the best one-two punches in the FBS.
Two wide receivers were quarterback Anthony Brown’s go-to guys. Together, the duo brought in 55 balls for 675 yards and two touchdowns. Kobay White led the receivers with 32 catches and 396 yards. Just like Iowa, the Eagles also have an amazing talent at the tight end position. Tommy Sweeny leads the club with three touchdowns to go along with his 29 catches and 375 yards.
The Boston College defense got a lot better as the year went on. The Eagles finished the year strong defensively by holding opponents to 17 points or less in six of their last eight contests. Furthermore, they gave up only 398 yards of total offense per game in 2017. A big concern has to be the performance of their front seven. The crew finished 102nd in the country, surrendering 198 yards a game to opposing rushers.
Prediction
I clearly see why oddsmakers have this game’s spread so close with the Hawkeyes at a slight two-point favorite. First of all, you just never know what Iowa team will take the field this year. Secondly, Boston College is clearly the team on a roll. Lastly, the Hawkeyes are more balanced and sport the better signal-caller of the two clubs. In any case, this is a toss-up game. Because of the reasons above, I’m suggesting to stay away from this line.
Instead, I believe there is value in the over 46. Boston College really struggles to stop the run and that doesn’t bode well when Akrum Wadley is on the other side. Plus, the Eagles offense has come to life in the second half of the season. The unit is averaging 36 points per game and has posted victories over Florida State, Louisville, and Virginia. The last two games mentioned were on the road. Take this over as Iowa’s balanced offense finds ways to move the ball as well as does the potent ground attack of the Eagles. @EriktheHun
To make a wager on the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl, go to BetDSI Sportsbook and make it happen today.
Trends
The Hawkeyes are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 bowl games.
The Under is 9-3 in the Hawkeyes last 12 neutral site games.
The Eagles are 8-0-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
The Under is 24-10-1 in the Eagles last 35 games overall.
