Iowa football vs. Northern Illinois expert predictions nationally

Iowa football is back.

On Saturday afternoon, the Hawkeyes host Northern Illinois in front of a raucous crowd at Kinnick Stadium. The Huskies are new members of the Mountain West Conference and are looking to make a statement to open the season.

For Iowa, all eyes will be on the quarterback position. On Saturday morning, CBS reported that Hank Brown is getting the start. Both Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski will get snaps in this game, though, as the battle for the starting spot wages on.

Throw in some new, exciting transfer portal wide receivers and the offense will be appointment viewing on Saturday afternoon. The defense and special teams will also look to gel this week as they replace key starters from last season.

Will the Hawkeyes open their season with a win? Here's what the experts have to say about this game:

Iowa vs. Northern Illinois expert predictions

College Football News: Iowa 38, Northern Illinois 6. College Football News is rolling with the Hawkeyes on Saturday:

Northern Illinois did a fantastic job of loading up the secondary with good defensive back options, but the run defense still has a whole lot to be desired. Last year’s version wasn’t bad at times, but really, really bad things happened when it started to get steamrolled.

Iowa is 20-2 over the last four years when it runs for 150 yards or more. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem in this. – Pete Fiutak

Athlon Sports: The three experts at Athlon Sports all picked Iowa to win this game.

Sporting News: Iowa 34, Northern Illinois 6. Writer Bill Bender is picking the Hawkeyes to win this game:

This is a giant spread for the Hawkeyes – and quarterbacks Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown should see action against a Huskies team that presses reset with interim coach Rob Harley. The Hawkeyes have won seven straight games against MAC opponents since a loss to the Huskies in 2013. The average margin of victory in those games is 26.7 points. – Bill Bender

With Iowa installed as a massive favorite over Northern Illinois, it's no real surprise to see experts nationally rolling with the Hawkeyes. Here's our Hawkeyes Wire staff predictions as well.

As kickoff approaches, follow along with our live coverage of today's Iowa versus Northern Illinois season opener.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football vs. Northern Illinois expert predictions nationally