College Football News shares Iowa-Purdue prediction in a tight Big Ten West battle
Week 6 sees the Iowa Hawkeyes welcome in the Purdue Boilermakers for a Big Ten West showdown. The two teams are the last two winners of the West division with Iowa in 2021 and Purdue in 2022.
Iowa enters the contest 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play after a late, come-from-behind win against Michigan State. Purdue is coming into Kinnick riding high after a 44-19 dismantling over Illinois that may have the Boilermakers turning the corner on some things.
With the weather dipping down into coolers temperatures, this one is sure to be a classic Big Ten matchup. Iowa has backup quarterback Deacon Hill making his first career start. The Iowa defense is playing confidently after creating four turnovers.
College Football News’ Pete Fiutak dug into this Big Ten battle and provided his thoughts on what is in store. Take a look at how he thinks this game may go along with a prediction.
College Football News' Iowa-Purdue must-see Rating
CFN’s must-see rating: 3 (out of 5)
Is Purdue turning a corner after a demolishing of the Fighting Illini? How does the Iowa offense handle things with a backup quarterback? Do the defenses and special teams units rule the day?
This one has some juice to it for intrigue in what feels like a little bit of a turning point for each squad. It could be a Big Ten fan’s dream of defense, cool weather, and punts which could be a 5/5 for those individuals.
Why Purdue will win
The Boilermakers need to get out of their own way. They commit penalties and turn the ball over. That combo is deadly against an Iowa team that rarely ever beats themselves with mistakes. If Purdue can limit that, they may be able to scratch across just enough to take this one.
Purdue might have found something in the 44-19 win over Illinois – it starts with not screwing up. It’s a balanced offense, the ground game managed multiple touchdown runs for the fifth straight week, and the turnovers chilled with just one fumble. – Fiutak, CFN
Why Iowa will win
Iowa won’t lose games, teams have to beat them. To do so, especially against Iowa’s defense and special teams, you have to play perfect, mistake-free football. Purdue hasn’t proven they can do that consistently.
Before walloping Purdue, Illinois got hit for 25 penalties in the previous three games and turned it over a total of seven times in the losses to Wisconsin and Syracuse.
Screw up against Iowa and you’re dead.
They came up with four turnovers against Michigan State, but the Hawkeyes aren’t forcing the big mistakes like they did throughout last season. The takeaways have been timely, though, and they’re not hurting themselves with flags. – Fiutak, CFN
College Football News' prediction
It doesn’t need to be pretty. As long as you score more than the other team, the final score is all that matters. Iowa is the master of getting there in the most unique, or ugly, ways possible. Can they do it once again?
College Football News Prediction: Iowa 19, Michigan State 16
What Fiutak said:
It’s Iowa. It defies all logic and reason, but can it really get by without any semblance of a passing game. Losing McNamara matters – Deacon Hill connected on just 11-of-27 passes with nothing happening down the field.
But you know how this works.
Iowa will look awful offensively, it might game 220 yards or it might not, and it’ll come up with three takeaways and a few field goals as it leaves Kinnick with yet another gritty win.
Takeaway
College Football News feels the same way that nearly everyone does going into this game. Iowa is going to have to play a vintage Iowa game to win this one and muck things up. Luckily, they draw a Purdue team that seems to enjoy committing penalties and turning the ball over.
Hawkeyes Wire predicted a 20-17 Iowa win where they get a few turnovers and do just enough on offense. The same sentiment goes here.
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