Penn State vs. Iowa prediction, odds: 2025 college football Week 8 picks from proven model

The Penn State Nittany Lions (3-3) head over to play the Iowa Hawkeyes (4-2) in a Big Ten battle on Saturday evening. The Nittany Lions have lost three straight games to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. They fired James Franklin and lost starting quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending ankle injury in the process. Terry Smith is the interim head coach for Penn State, while Ethan Grunkemeyer takes over at quarterback. Iowa, meanwhile, has won three of its last four games. On Oct. 11, Iowa blew out Wisconsin 37-0. Terry 

Kickoff from the Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, is at 7 p.m. ET. The Hawkeyes are 3-point favorites in the latest Penn State vs. Iowa odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 41.5 via SportsLine consensus. Before making any Iowa vs. Penn State picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

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The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and is a profitable 39-27 combined on money-line and over/under college football picks since the beginning of 2024. Anybody following its college football betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Penn State vs. Iowa. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the FBS college football odds and trends for Penn State vs. Iowa:

Why Penn State can cover

Penn State is averaging 169 rushing yards per game, along with five yards per carry. Senior running back Kaytron Allen leads the team in rushing yards (467) with 6.7 yards a carry and seven rushing touchdowns. The Virginia native has gone over 50 rushing yards in five straight games. Last week against Northwestern, Allen had 90 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Senior running back Nicholas Singleton is another playmaker for this offense. He has 259 rushing yards and six rushing scores. Defensively, linebacker Amare Campbell leads the team in total tackles (50) with two sacks. He's recorded 10-plus total tackles in two of his last three games. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

Why Iowa can cover

Iowa's defense has been solid this season, as the Hawkeyes are allowing just 13 points per game. They are pairing that with the run game, as they average 184 rushing yards per contest. The Hawkeyes are 3-0 ATS in conference games and 2-0-1 ATS after a win. Sophomore running back Kamari Moulton leds the team in rushing yards (261) with two rushing scores.

In the win over Wisconsin, Moulton had 96 rushing yards, 29 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown. Freshman running back Xavier Williams logged 241 rushing yards and 7.3 yards per carry. In his last outing, Williams recorded 55 rushing yards and two rushing scores. In addition, senior quarterback Mark Gronowski has added eight rushing touchdowns. See which team to back at SportsLine.

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How to make Penn State vs. Iowa picks

SportsLine's model is going Under on the total, projecting 41 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Penn State vs. Iowa, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Penn State vs. Iowa spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that finished up over $2,000 on its FBS college football picks since its inception, and find out.