By facing the BCS No. 4-ranked team this week, there's plenty more predictions to choose from - I'm not stuck relying on blogs with little-to-none credibility. Oddsmakers place Iowa as a 17-point favorite. Here's what various media outlets are predicting for tomorrow's game:
Iowa 27, IU 10 - Adam Rittenberg, ESPN.com Big Ten blog: "This is the week the Hawkeyes finally create some distance between themselves and their opponent."
Iowa 35, IU 10 - Gazette Online (Eastern Iowa newspaper): "There is no Great Pumpkin and there is no Hoosier upset." (one of several predictions - all picking Iowa)
Iowa 20, IU 9 - Ryan Winn, Indiana Daily Student: "Iowa will be without a starting guard and their starting running back, but the Hawkeyes have not won with their offense all year."
Iowa 34, IU 20 - Erick Smith, USA Today: "Finally a week where the Hawkeyes won't need some fourth quarter magic."
Iowa wins big - Spencer Tillman, CBS Sports: "I don't think there's going to be a letdown. There's too much at stake, not just for Iowa, but for the conference as a whole."
Iowa 20, IU 6 - Football Forum, the Daily Iowan: "This is a game I see that could be low-scoring. It's going to be a game I think the defense wins for Iowa."
It took me awhile to find anyone picking IU to win. I did find a poster on an SI message board saying that IU would win 27-24. Not exactly credible, but...
Also, a plug for ESPN Insider said, "To check out all of Mel (Kiper)'s Week 9 matchups -- including a sleeper in Indiana versus Iowa -- you must be an ESPN Insider." Sounds intriguing, but I don't want to pay to find out if he actually picked IU to win.
What do you think? Does IU have a chance?
