The Minnesota Golden Gophers will defend The Floyd of Rosedale against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night but this year’s rivalry matchup could be an uphill battle as Minnesota enters as an underdog.
The Hawkeyes are favored by 2.5 points in the opening lines produced by Fanduel and DraftKings sportsbooks. Although the game will be played at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the Hawkeyes have a case to handle the atmosphere after calling an invalid fair catch signal away from defeating Minnesota in a 12-10 loss in Iowa City last year.
P.J. Fleck’s history against Kirk Ferentz could also come into the decision to favor Iowa as Fleck has gone 1-6 against the Hawkeyes since becoming the Gophers’ head coach in 2017.
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Minnesota has rebounded well after a 19-17 loss to North Carolina in Week 1, posting back-to-back shutouts in wins over Rhode Island (48-0) and Nevada (27-0) to enter Saturday’s game with a 2-1 record.
But Iowa has had a similar season thus far, shutting out Illinois State 40-0 in the season opener and falling by a late field goal in a 20-19 loss to in-state rival Iowa State in Week 2. After defeating Troy 38-21 on Saturday, Iowa will look to score a win as both teams enter Big Ten play.