The NCAA schedule-makers did fans a lot of good for this weekend, as there are a lot of amazing games on the slate. One of those fantastic contests is the matchup between Iowa and USC, the 21st and 17th-ranked teams, respectively.
USC is a 7.5-point favorite at home, and with an over/under set at 49.5, oddsmakers indicate that this could be a higher-scoring game than people might think heading into it.
We’re excited to watch it all go down, so without further ado, let’s dive into our favorite player props from Underdog!
We were surprised to see what Gonrowski’s line was set at, especially considering how he’s performed all season. The Hawkeyes have won six games this year, but it’s more been due to their great defense and strong rushing attack, rather than explosive performances from Gonrowski.
He’s a rush-first QB, and because he’s only passed for 145+ yards two times all year, we’re fading his passing total against a team that allows just north of 205 yards per game. 145 yards might not seem like a high bar to achieve for a college QB, but we just can’t trust Gronowski in this one.
We’re going to start this off by saying that, yes, we know that Iowa allows the fourth-fewest yards in the country to opposing quarterbacks. This would automatically make some bettors assume that we should fade Jayden Maiava against them, but we’re going the opposite direction.
He’s been great against ranked opponents all season, putting up an impressive 364 yards against Illinois and 328 against Notre Dame. Maiava’s ceiling might not be as high in this game as it has been in others, but there’s no reason for us to believe he’ll have less than 241 yards, especially considering that he’s not afraid to sling the pill.
While we’re not confident in Gronowski to go over on his passing total, we are comfortable with his partner in crime in the backfield, Kamari Moulton. Moulton has been excellent in his past five games, having 75+ rushing yards in each, and there’s no reason for us to doubt him in this one.
Averaging five yards per carry is no small feat, and Iowa isn’t afraid to turn to its rushing attack, even in games when they’re trailing. Look for Moulton to keep this streak alive and have at least 75 rushing yards.