Pinned
Link copied
The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers will face off at 3:30 p.m. ET Sept. 4 at Kinnick Stadium to kick off their 2021 seasons. Iowa finished last year at 6-2 and will now try to light the spark for another quality season. Likewise, IU finished a solid 6-1 in the regular season last season, but they are hoping to make up for a 26-20 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels in the Outback Bowl.
A pair of last-season stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Hawkeyes were 10th best in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game, finishing the 2020 season giving up only 107.6 on average. Less enviably, the Hoosiers ranked 13th worst in the nation with respect to rushing yards per game last year, where the team accrued only 108.6 on average (bottom 91%). The good news for IU, of course, is that these forces working against them might not carry over into the new season.
The neutral point spread forecasts a close one for these two. We'll see if the game is as close as the oddsmakers expect or if one of these teams has a surprise blowout in them.
