Each year, there are a few games that every college football fan has marked on their schedule.
Don't miss the Iron Bowl, the Red River Showdown, and if you live in Iowa or are a fan of three-yard football from a bygone era, the annual Cy-Hawk Game between Iowa State and Iowa State University.
The entire Hawkeye state comes to a halt because of Psy-Hawk, and Psy-Hawk almost always delivers in his own way.
These two teams won't be lighting up the scoreboard, but they'll definitely provide fans with a game of honest, hard-working football that will be tense right until the end.
Six of the last 10 meetings have been decided by one point, and three of the last five have been decided by three points or less.
This year's Cy Hawk Trophy went to Iowa State after the Cyclones overcame a 13-0 deficit to beat the Hawkeyes 20-19 on a final-minute field goal.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Hokies, who will now have to bounce back for Saturday's game against Troy before opening their Big Ten schedule a week later against Minnesota.
This is truly a brutal schedule for the Hawkeyes, fitting right into their “ugly underdog” position every week.
Not only is the situation we’re in potentially disappointing, but this is a big spread for a team like Iowa to cover.
The Hokies were supposed to add some extra oomph to their offense in 2024, but the results have been mixed so far.
Iowa gave up 40 points to Illinois State in Week 1, a game that was down 6-0 at halftime, but the Hawks' crushing victory over their in-state rival seven days later was anything but.
Iowa jumped out to a 13-0 lead against Iowa State but scored six more points in the second half.
Of course, it will be an easier matchup against Troy than it is against Iowa State, but Iowa's offense is not set up to be an explosive team.
The offensive coordinator may be different, the philosophy may have changed a bit, but this is still Iowa.
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Michael Lebov handicaps every sport except the Premier League, NHL, golf, NFL and NBA for the New York Post. He bets 49.73 units on the Premier League with an ROI of 7.17%.
The Hawkeyes play slow, methodical and efficient rather than quick, risky and explosive.
So when the spread falls in this range, Iowa is always going to be an ideal target, as they're unlikely to score quickly enough to be confident they can overwhelm the opposing team.
Another reason to expect Troy to be held to three touchdowns or less is the low totals.
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The over/under for Iowa vs. Troy is 38.5, making it the shortest odds of any game in Week 3.
This suggests that bookmakers aren’t expecting much from them offensively, making it even tougher to find a path to success with the Iowa -22.5 ticket.
Iowa, looking to bounce back against a rebuilding Sun Belt team that is 0-2, may not be everyone's favorite game, but on Saturday, it's the ugly games that are often the most valuable.
Fasten your seatbelts, everyone: there's nothing more fun than betting on Iowa football games.
recommendation: Troy +22.5 (BetMGM)
