Iowa Hawkeyes vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, Odds and Picks for Tomorrow, 11/08/24

Here we are for more Friday night action in the Big Ten and we are here with an Iowa Hawkeyes vs UCLA Bruins prediction. The Hawkeyes have been heating up lately, and with a favorable schedule over the final weeks they can very reasonably finish with 9 wins and only 2 conference losses. Their biggest hurdle might be the tough road spot on a short week as they head to Los Angeles. Waiting for them is a Bruins team riding a modest 2-game winning streak, as they upended Nebraska on the road in a surprise victory last week. The Bruins are in rebuild mode, but can they keep it rolling? I think Iowa has found a formula lately and I expect it to control this game. My Iowa vs UCLA pick is Iowa -5.5.

Let’s start with Iowa, where the formula is a clear one: control the game with the defense and keep the ball on the ground. Iowa has scored 40 points in 3 of the last 4 weeks, and that is despite playing the last couple of games without starting QB Cade McNamara, who will once again miss this week with a concussion. That’s okay when Kaleb Johnson is running like he is, with 7 100-yard games on the season. The strength of the UCLA defense is stopping the run, and they have done that well against run-heavy teams like Rutgers and Minnesota. But I can’t trust UCLA when they were totally dominated by every good team they have played, and I’m not sure they would have won last week if Dylan Raiola hadn’t gotten hurt. For UCLA, the offense goes through the air and there are few teams in the country that are harder to throw on than Iowa. I think this is a bad spot for the Bruins, and even with a backup quarterback on the field on Friday, the Hawkeyes should win this one comfortably.

Iowa vs UCLA prediction: Iowa -5.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -6.5.

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