Odds & Trends: No. 4 Penn State at No. 3 Iowa

A Look at Saturday's Big Game from a Gambling Angle

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

IOWA CITY, Iowa - It really doesn't where a certain high-profile pregame television show is headed this week. The biggest game in the college football is happening along the Iowa River, not the Red River. 

Third-ranked Iowa plays host to No. 4 Penn State Saturday (3 p.m. CT, FOX) in a battle of Big Ten unbeatens. ESPNS's College GameDay is missing out. Enjoy Dallas. 

Plenty of people will want a piece of the action here in town, including gamblers. So, let's take a look at the matchup from a wagering perspective in our weekly Odds & Trends piece:

Point Spreads: The game opened at Iowa -1.5 at Vegas Insider (VI). The VI consensus showed the number at the Hawkeyes -2.0 as of Thursday afternoon. BetMGM, Caesars and Circa showed it at Iowa -2.0. Fan Duel, Draft Kings, Points Bet and Super Book all had it at Hawkeyes -1.5. 

If you're shopping locally, Elite Sportsbook in Riverside, Iowa, and the Hard Rock Sportsbook in Sioux City each had it at Iowa -1.5.

Money Lines: The VI consensus opened with Iowa +105 and Penn State -125. Iowa's number moved to -130 as of Thursday afternoon with Penn State at +110. Circa was the high on the Hawkeyes at -135 with Fan Duel the lowest on the Hawkeyes at -122. BetMGM is the low on Penn State (+100) and Circa the high (+115).

Locally, Elite showed Iowa at -130 and Penn State at +110. Hard Rock had the Hawkeyes at -125 and the Nittany Lions at +105. 

Over/Under: Also referred to as "the total", this number represents the amount of combined points scored by the two teams. As of Thursday afternoon, VI consensus puts it at 41.0, up from the 42.5 open. Circa and Fan Duel were the high at 41.5.

Locally, Elite and Hard Rock each showed it at 41.0.

Public Percentages Wagered: Books track the percentages of bets placed on each team in a given game.

As of Thursday afternoon, 63 percent of the wagers were made on the Hawkeyes, according to ActionNetwork.com, which showed the point spread as Penn State +2.5.

These percentages often shift as the game draws closer. The "sharps" (professional gamblers) frequently come in late with their bets.

Penn State Trends

-Nittany Lions are 6-0 Against The Spread (ATS) in their last 6 conference games.

-Penn State is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games overall.

-Nittany Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog.

-Penn State is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games as an underdog.

-Nittany Lions are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.

-Under is 4-0 in Penn State's last 4 road games.

-Under is 4-1 in Nittany Lions last 5 games overall.

Iowa Trends

-Hawkeyes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 conference games.

-Iowa is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games overall.

-Hawkeyes are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 home games.

-Iowa is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games as a favorite.

-Hawkeyes are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win.

-Under is 5-0 in Iowa's last 5 home games.

-Under is 5-1 in Hawkeyes last 6 games overall.

Matchup Trends

-Nittany Lions are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.

-Favorite is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.