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Happy prediction Friday, Hawkeye fans! 

While you're enjoying the final day of your work week, we're busy finalizing our pregame coverage for Iowa football's non-conference finale against in-state foe Northern Iowa on Saturday (3 p.m., FS1). 

If you're new around here, we devote the Friday before an Iowa football game entirely to our game prediction and opinions about some of the biggest happenings in college football this weekend. 

We've already released our prediction for Saturday's contest earlier on Friday, so now it's time to turn our attention over to what the oddsmakers are saying. We provided you with your betting guide a few hours ago, so now it's time for our final betting prediction for this always-unique in-state clash at Kinnick Stadium. 

Here we go. 

*All betting lines courtesy of DraftKings. Call 1-800-BETS OFF if you live in Iowa (1-800-MY-RESET is the national line) and are struggling with gambling. 

Spread: Iowa -40.5 

If you've read the game prediction, you already know what my picks are here. Asking an Iowa team three or four years ago to cover a 40-point spread would've been next to impossible because they simply couldn't score enough points to cover. Iowa may still very well get through this game with as vanilla of a game plan as it possibly can, but with the quarterback decision still up in the air, the Hawkeyes are going to have to air it out a little bit against an undersized Panther defense. 

Iowa may not reach the final point total I projected it, but if the defense is stout and the offense duplicates what it did against Northern Illinois, a cover feels likely here. 

Total: Over 49.5 

This is a lofty total especially if Northern Iowa isn't able to move the football, but I'm trusting my final score prediction with this one. A defensive touchdown or a short field could help Iowa push the total over by itself. 

Other Picks 

Iowa +530 to attempt field goal on opening drive: Though I have the Hawkeyes lighting up the scoreboard in this one, it just feels like most Iowa opening drives against weaker competition end in a field goal attempt. The Hawkeyes will be desperate to get the run game going after struggling last weekend. That will get them down in the red zone, but unlike last year, Iowa hasn't connected down there. The Hawkeyes will find a red zone package later in the game, but they'll be forced to settle for a Caden Buhr field goal on the opening drive. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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