Iowa vs Michigan State Prediction & Betting Tips - October 19 | College Football Week 8

The Iowa Hawkeyes will travel away to play the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be telecast on NBC.

Iowa (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) is coming fresh off a 40-16 home win over Washington, and on the other hand, Michigan State (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) suffered a 10-31 road loss to Oregon.

Iowa vs Michigan State Preview

Iowa is a six-point favorite on the road, while the over/under is set at 39.5 points.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are led by their defense, but their offense was a surprise against Washington. Cade McNamara still only threw for 108 yards, but he did throw for two touchdowns. Running back Kaleb Johnson rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

The Hawkeyes' running game and defense lead the team. But coach Kirk Ferentz knows stopping Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles will be tough.

"You have to stick with your position, stick with your responsibilities," Ferentz said, via HawkeyesWire. "If you’re in the back end especially, you can’t be coming out of coverage because a guy looks like he’s pulling it down, because he can do both certainly... We watched him when we were preparing Ohio State. That’s the first time we saw him. He’s a real dangerous player, can hurt you in a couple different ways."

This season, Iowa's performances are headlined by Jermari Harris (three sacks), Aaron Graves (five sacks), and Jay Higgins (62 tackles).

Michigan State, meanwhile, is coming off a blowout loss to Oregon two weeks ago and had its bye week last week. The Spartans know playing Iowa is difficult, as their offensive line and run game are among the best in football.

“Schematically, they are committed to making it physical running the ball,” coach Jonathan Smith said, via SI. “I think defensively, the scheme, the players, they give you a lot on that defensive side, so it's a different challenge and they're playing really well. I mean, they had a nice win last week, handily, and you look at their two setbacks this season are against two really good teams.”

The Spartans are led by Aidan Chiles, who has thrown for 1,212 yards, five touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Defensively, Charles Brantley (Defensive Back) has three interceptions, while Jordan Turner (Linebacker) and Khris Bogle (Defensive Linesman) have three sacks.

Michigan State is coming off its bye week, which should help them prepare. But the Iowa Hawkeyes' defense is suffocating and should be able to limit Chiles here.

This should be a low-scoring game, as Iowa could limit Michigan State's offense and likely get an interception or two to help seal the win. Iowa's run game will also be hard to stop, as the Hawkeyes have one of the best offensive lines in the country.

Prediction: Iowa 21, Michigan State 13

Iowa vs Michigan State: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Iowa -6 (-108)

Tip 2: Under 39.5 (-108)

Tip 3: Kaleb Johnson over 135 rushing yards (-135)

Tip 4: Jacob Gill 19+ receiving yards (-120)