Welcome to Week 11 of the college football season, sports betting family. As it usually does, the year is going by way too fast, but there are lots of fun games left out there for us. It's hard to believe that we only have a month left in the regular season.
I've found some nice edges on Saturday afternoon's Oregon vs Iowa game, which kicks off at 3:30 Eastern Time. I've broken down all aspects of this matchup and came up with an early best bet to hopefully help build your bankroll.
Good luck and enjoy the action! This should be a sensational Big Ten battle in Iowa City. Let's get into it!
Online sportsbooks opened this line at Oregon -6 on the look-ahead line back in the summer months. Surprisingly, the current number is now Oregon -5.5, which is kind of a shock since Oregon is ranked No. 6 in the country and Iowa isn't even ranked.
As for the game total, there's been a small appetite for the Over so far. The line opened at 43, and almost every sportsbook in the US is now dealing 43.5. There are no outliers to report as of Monday afternoon.
Oregon continues to have one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. Dan Lanning's bunch ranks 3rd in yards per play, 6th in points per game, 2nd in yards per rush, and a respectable 14th in yards per pass. QB Dante Moore has done a fabulous job of running the show, as he's thrown for 1772 yards and 19 TDs so far this year.
Dante's favorite target so far has been the other Moore, Dakorien Moore, who has hauled in 28 receptions for 443 yards and 3 TDs. Noah Whittington has done a good job on the ground for the Ducks, as he's rushed for 433 yards and 4 scores.
Oregon used to be known for having a high-scoring offense and a below-average defense. However, that is no longer the case. The Ducks' D ranks 23rd in yards per rush allowed and 1st in yards per pass allowed.
As usual, the Iowa offense is painful to watch. However, new QB Mark Gronowski has shown some promise. He's only thrown 4 TDs, but he's found pay dirt 11 times on the ground with his legs. Oregon has a stout rush defense, but I think the 1-2 combo of Gronowski and RB Kamari Moulton can give the Ducks some issues in this matchup.
The Hawkeyes' passing game hasn't been all that great, but I like what I've seen from WR Sam Phillips. The 5'7" senior may be the smallest guy on the field, but he's got plenty of speed to burn down the field. Fellow senior wideout Seth Anderson has only caught 10 balls this year, but two of them have gone for TDs.
Oregon vs Iowa - 3:30 PM ET (11/8)
Let's get an early winner on the board for Week 11 of college football, shall we? Why are the Mighty Ducks of Oregon only laying 6 points to an unranked Iowa team? I'll tell you why...Because this Hawkeyes defense is the real deal, and it's hard to win on the road at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa ranks 2nd in the country in yards per play allowed, 8th in yards per rush allowed, and 7th in yards per pass allowed. Seriously, this D has no glaring weaknesses, and they can put pressure on Oregon QB Dante Moore. Senior DL Max Llewellyn leads Iowa with 6 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, and he'll be in the Ducks' backfield early and often in this one.
My power ratings only make Oregon a 2.5-point favorite in this spot. Let's take the Hawkeyes plus the points and sprinkle a small amount on the moneyline at +185 or so. Good luck, sports betting family!
Final Score Prediction: Iowa 23 - Oregon 20