Iowa-Northwestern Prediction: Can The Hawkeyes Conquer New Ryan Field?

Happy prediction Friday, Hawkeye fans! 

It's almost game day, and if you've been around here long enough, you know that Friday is when we release our prediction for Iowa's upcoming football game. 

And what a football game it's going to be on Saturday. Iowa and Northwestern don't always meet with very high stakes, but this game will mean everything to both football teams. The Hawkeyes look to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race with a win, while the Wildcats aren't completely dead if they can pull off the home victory. 

So without further adieu, it's time to get into the pick. 

Matchup: No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-2) @ Northwestern Wildcats (6-2, 3-2) 

Location: Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois 

Scheduled game time: Nov. 7 at 6:35 p.m. 

Weather: 46 degrees 

TV: FOX 

Announcers: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), and Alexa Landestoy (sideline)

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Pat Angerer) 

Student Radio: KRUI (Peter Augustyniak, Nick Eyles)

*All betting lines courtesy of DraftKings and as of Thursday, Nov. 5. Call 1-800-BETS OFF if you live in Iowa (1-800-MY-RESET is the national line) and are struggling with gambling. 

The Line: Northwestern -2.5 | O/U: 45.5 

Spread Pick: Iowa +2.5 

Northwestern is a good team, but this line is basically giving the points to the Wildcats because they are playing at home. I'll explain why in a second, but I think Iowa finds a way to win this game outright because of the heavy crowd advantage it often has playing in Evanston. 

Over 45.5 

This one is a pretty obvious pick if you've read our preview content throughout the week. While Phil Parker and Co. should be able to slow down this robust Northwestern offense, you really can't completely stop Chip Kelly. The Wildcats don't have a great defense themselves, so I feel good about Iowa's chances to put up some points here. It won't be a shootout, but both teams should score in the mid-20s to push this game over.  

On paper, this really isn't a great matchup for Iowa. Northwestern may be the second-best offense the Hawkeyes have faced this year behind Ohio State, and you know Kelly is going to throw every possible wrinkle he can to beat Parker's stout defense. Like I said earlier, there's going to be some points at Ryan Field, but I think this game comes down to the ground game. 

The Wildcats don't have a great run defense (146 YPG, 13th in Big Ten play), while Iowa has an excellent run defense (79 YPG, 2nd in Big Ten play). Something has to give here, and I think the Hawkeyes have a chance to exploit that if Xavier Williams can hold on to the football. Northwestern is going to convert some big plays through the air, especially if Zach Lutmer and Jaylen Watson are absent from Iowa's secondary (both were listed as questionable earlier in the week), but if the Hawkeyes can sustain long drives and get something going through the air, they win will this football game. 

Though Iowa may not have the home-field advantage it usually did at the old Ryan Field, there's probably going to be a lot of Hawkeye fans in attendance on Saturday. That can only help, and I'll leave you with this stat, too: 

Iowa has won 23 of its last 28 games in November. It's historically a month where Kirk Ferentz's teams play their best football, and I'm expecting that to continue on Saturday. 

The Hawkeyes just flip a different switch when the calendar flips to November, and that's going to guide them to their fifth straight victory over the Wildcats. 

Prediction: Iowa 27, Northwestern 24