Iowa Football: Hawkeyes vs. Badgers among CBS Sports best Week 7 bets

No one looks at the Iowa Hawkeyes versus the Wisconsin Badgers and thinks it will be a shootout. That isn’t who these teams have been, are, or really ever will be. These teams play smashmouth football and want to win with defense.

Iowa is No. 17 in the country, allowing 16.3 points per game. Wisconsin is not far behind at No. 26, allowing 18.4 points per game. Add those together with a defensive mind, you get just shy of 35 total points.

An offer for Hawkeyes fans

It isn’t hard to see why CBS Sports has placed this game among their Week 7 best bets. You probably guessed it: They are taking the under of 36.5 total points in the Big Ten West matchup.

Iowa mustered 20 points against Purdue last week thanks to settling for field goals twice inside the Purdue 10-yard line. One of those drives started on the Boilermakers’ 5-yard line.  Wisconsin’s offense has not been fabulous either, except for the 38 the Badgers put on Purdue. I’m going to keep riding Iowa unders until the Hawkeyes give me a reason to pick otherwise. Pick: Under – Jerry Palm, CBS Sports.

Things don’t see a drastic change when you look at the offenses, either. Iowa is No. 104 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 21.8 points per game. Wisconsin does score much better than Iowa coming in at No. 51 in the nation with 31.4 points per game.

That number is padded a bit by 38 points against the University of Buffalo and 35 against Georgia Southern, though. Wisconsin only mustered up 24 points against Rutgers last week.

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