The set-up: I've grabbed the points, but I do expect Penn State to finally get into the win column here as well with a straight-up victory. With a spread like this, the oddsmakers are trying to lead us to believe that these teams are evenly matched. I do think that's the case also, but for me this comes down to motivation levels. Iowa is 2-2 and the Nittany Lions are 0-4. Iowa has once again been tough defensively, allowing just 14.8 PPG. QB Spencer Petras is a game manager, as RB Tyler Goodson is the focal point.

The picks: The Nittany Lions went 10-2 last year and note that they've never started a season 0-5 ever in their entire 100-year history of playing. Penn State lost 30-23 to Nebraska last time out, but it looked a lot better in the second half. Will Levis and Sean Clifford are going to keep this Hawkeyes defense on its heels today. Yes, Penn State has fallen off considerably from last year's team, but so too has Iowa. The Hawkeyes have been consistently inconsistent this year and after last week's win, I expect that trend to continue here vs. a Nittany Lions team which will be risking life and limb to try and finally get into the win column. As stated off the top, the outright is possible, but let's grab the points.

This is a 10* GAME OF THE YEAR on Penn State.