Iowa vs. Nebraska Prediction, Game Preview

It’s Iowa’s (11-0) chance to finish the regular season unbeaten as it goes off to the Big Ten title game, and it’s Nebraska’s (5-6) to come up with a huge win to become bowl eligible and knock off one of the top teams in the playoff chase. Check out the Iowa vs. Nebraska prediction and game preview.

Iowa vs. Nebraska Game Preview

Broadcast

Date: Friday, November 27
Game Time: 3:30 pm
Venue: Memorial Stadium , Lincoln, NE

Network: ABC

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Why You Need To Care

Nebraska has fought the good fight. After several close calls, near-misses, chokes, whiffs and strange losses, it’s on a two-game winning streak with a chance to go bowling with one giant win. Through all the problems, the team has never quit and it’s never stopped playing hard for head coach Mike Riley – winning this would be a massive payoff. As the only team to beat Michigan State, the Huskers have a chance – possibly – to be the only team to beat the two teams in the Big Ten title game.

Iowa is pushing for something more than a 12-0 record. Could the Hawkeyes still get into the playoff at 12-1 with a Big Ten championship? Maybe, but it’s hardly a sure-thing unless Notre Dame loses to Stanford. But one of college football’s two remaining unbeaten teams – Clemson is the other – can take care of business itself by winning this week and then going on to take the Big Ten title. The team might be thinking far bigger, but at the very least, a win should assure a New Year’s Six game, most likely the Rose Bowl. That’s not a bad consolation prize.

Why Iowa Will Win

Iowa hasn’t been living off of turnover margin, but it hasn’t been on the negative side since losing a fumble in the opener against Illinois State. This isn’t an explosive Hawkeye team, but it does just about everything right with few penalties, great ball control, and a +11 turnover margin on the year. One of Nebraska’s biggest issues has been turnovers at a -10 on the year and losing the margin in eight of the last nine games. You can’t make mistakes and beat Iowa, and Nebraska will give it up at least twice.

Why Nebraska Will Win

Iowa has an efficient, token passing game, but it lives on the ground. Nebraska can’t seem to stop anyone from pushing the ball deep, but it’s terrific against good ground games allowing more than 150 yards just twice on the year. Can the Huskers hold up? They’re 1-6 on the year when allowing more than 100 yards – only beating Michigan State – but even if the Hawkeyes get hot, they’re not going to gouge the excellent Nebraska defensive front. Only BYU and Northwestern have averaged more than five yards per carry.

Player Who Matters

This is Tommy Armstrong’s time – at least it needs to be for Nebraska. The veteran starting quarterback had a strange game last year in the 37-34 win over Iowa, throwing four touchdown passes but with two picks, and he misfired way too often. He got the win as the team pulled out the thriller, but this week he’ll have to be razor-sharp moving the chains with his legs, while not making any mistakes with his eyes – he can’t throw picks. The team might have won the last two games, but he’s thrown five interceptions as he’s forcing the ball down the field a bit too much.

What’s Going To Happen?

Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Nebraska should’ve beaten BYU and Illinois. It could have beaten Wisconsin, Miami and Northwestern, and it would’ve beaten Purdue with just one big late stop. But the Huskers didn’t get it done. Iowa should’ve and could’ve lost to Pitt and Indiana, and it would’ve lost to Wisconsin if the Badgers didn’t keep screwing up. But the Hawkeyes did get it done – that’s what the good teams do. However, at home, with the bowl game on the line, and after everything that’s happened this year, Nebraska will get its second big, giant win. It needed a minor-miracle to beat Michigan State, and it’s going to need a late field goal to stun the Hawkeyes.