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College football has already been back since last Saturday, but it's officially all the way back now. 

With the NFL not beginning its season until next week, college football is taking full advantage. The next five days will be dedicated to the sport, which includes Iowa football's season opener against Northern Illinois. 

The hot weather expected at Kinnick Stadium is almost the perfect thing to describe the dawn of this new season. The entire state is buzzing with enthusiasm for Hawkeye football, and fans are certainly keeping their eyes peeled on some of the most crucial position groups. 

The primary focus for Iowa fans is on their football team, but some of them are looking at the sportsbooks to bet on not only the Hawkeye game, but also the rest of what figures to be a terrific Week 1 slate. 

If you're an Iowa fan looking to place some bets, you're in the right place. Here's your Week 1 betting guide filled with lines from the Iowa-NIU clash along with national and rivalry games that are of keen interest.  

*All betting lines from DraftKings 

Northern Illinois @ No. 22 Iowa

Line: Iowa -31.5 

O/U: 44.5 

Moneyline: Iowa -100000

Iowa first drive result: Punt (+188), Field goal attempt (+430), Touchdown (+109), Turnover, Turnover on downs, or safety (+640) 

DraftKings nailed this line. Both of these teams are a bit of an unknown entering the season, but Northern Illinois is clearly at a major disadvantage after its roster was ravaged by the transfer portal in the offseason. It's hard to see the Huskies keeping this one close, but the under could be in play if Iowa struggles to get good quarterback play and exclusively goes to the ground game in the second half. 

The rest of the slate 

Toledo @ Michigan State 

Line: Michigan State -10, O/U: 46.5

Ohio @ Nebraska 

Line: -23.5, O/U: 46.5 

Southeast Missouri State @ Iowa State 

Line: Iowa State – 29.5, O/U: 53.5 

Boise State @ No. 2 Oregon 

Line: Oregon -24.5, O/U: 51.5 

Clemson @ No. 11 LSU 

Line: LSU -10, O/U: 50.5 

Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (Game played in Green Bay, WI) 

Line: Notre Dame -20.5, O/U: 47.5 

No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (Game played in Nashville, TN) 

Line: Ole Miss -6.5, O/U: 55.5 

The Rundown 

While our viewing guide released earlier today features analysis on some of the week's most intriguing matchups from an Iowa perspective, let's talk about some of these betting lines here. You just have to include two of the Hawkeyes' biggest rivals (Iowa State and Nebraska), but the games to bet on this week are probably going to be the matchups that close out the week. 

From a bettors point of view, it may be wise to take Clemson and Wisconsin to cover their respective spreads. Lane Kiffin's hype train doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime in Baton Rouge, and the massive distraction could lead to suddenly spiraling Clemson putting up a fight in Death Valley. The same could be said for Wisconsin, which is desperate to make any sort of statement even if it ends in a losing effort. A 10-14-point loss to a loaded Fighting Irish team would be a positive step for Luke Fickell and Co. 

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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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