The 2022 Music City Bowl will see the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. Both teams head into this contest with his 7-5 record. Those schools also met in the final bowl game, when Kentucky defeated Iowa in the 2021 Citrus Bowl, where he went 20-17. Kentucky is 8-4 against the spread and Iowa is 7-5 against the spread. Both teams have new quarterbacks, with Joe Lavas expected to start in Iowa and Destin Wade nodding in Kentucky. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. Included in the NFL opt-out.
Kickoff from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee is set for noon ET. The Caesars Sportsbook’s latest Iowa vs. Kentucky odds list the Hawkeyes as his 2.5-point favorite, but over/under is set at 31, his lowest total this bowl of the season. Before deciding on the Kentucky vs. Iowa pick, check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine projection model simulates all FBS college football games 10,000 times. Over the past six years, the proprietary computer model has generated a staggering profit of around $2,500 for a $100 player in the top-rated college football pick for the spread. But I’ve seen huge gains.
The model is now pegged to Kentucky vs. Iowa, revealing predictions for the 2022 Music City Bowl. Visit SportsLine for model recommendations. Here are his CFB odds and betting lines for Iowa vs. Kentucky.
- Iowa-Kentucky spread: Hawkeyes -2.5
- Iowa vs. Kentucky Over/Under: 31 Points
- Iowa vs. Kentucky moneyline: Hawkeyes -145, Wildcats +122
- Iowa: The Hawkeyes are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four bowl games
- UK: Wildcats are 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 non-conference games
- Iowa vs. Kentucky Picks: Check SportsLine’s Picks
Featured games | | Kentucky Wildcats vs Iowa Hawkeyes
Why Iowa Has You Covered
Iowa does not allow teams to be effective in the air. The secondary is very disciplined and conscious, ranking his third in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed (173.8). Sophomore defensive his back Cooper Dejan is an agile and instinctive playmaker. DeJean is a consistent tackler and has his fourth-highest total stops (68) on the team. The Iowa native has his seven pass deflections with his four interceptions and his two touchdowns, a team-high. On November 12, he finished with 10 total tackles and returned a score of 32 yards with one interception.
Iowa has a question mark on offense, but the Hawkeyes should give up little defense, struggle to score, and give a shot to cover a Kentucky team that is missing a key piece on offense. He gave up only 277.9 total yards and 14.4 points per game on the season, both of which rank among the top four in the Big Ten.
Why Kentucky Has You Covered
Kentucky also has good defense and is consistently flocking to the ball. The Wildcats have four players in his year with at least 50 tackles. The unit comes into this contest third in the conference in overall defense (320.2), second in passing yards (173.4) and sixth in run defense (146.8). Jr. His linebacker Derrick Jackson is an instinctive force with a nose on the ball.
Jackson leads the team in total tackles (61) and has at least eight tackles in three of his last five games. Freshman safety Jordan Lovett closes out well against the run while playing the ball in coverage. Lovett is second on the team in total tackles (59), and he is tied for first in interceptions (2). The Kentucky native recorded seven tackles with interceptions in back-to-back games to end the season.
How to make a Kentucky vs. Iowa pick
The model is skewed all around and predicts a total of 35 points. It also says that one side of the spread hits him more than 50% of the time. You can see who you can help with at SportsLine.
So who will win Iowa vs. Kentucky? And which side of the spread will hit more than 50% of the time? Check and find out which side of the spread should face back.