Penn State vs Iowa Opening Odds – Hawkeyes 2.5-Point Home Favorites in Week 6 Big Ten Matchup

• Penn State (5-0) faces Iowa (5-0) at Kinnick Stadium Saturday at 4 PM Eastern on Fox
• Both teams are healthy and coming off decisive wins that allowed them to rest key players
• Below are the opening odds and team break downs to help predict potential line movement prior to kickoff

Two undefeated top five programs are set to battle at Kinnick Stadium this Saturday.

Penn State heads to Iowa in the most anticipated game of the week. The opening odds are out and the Nittany Lions are 2.5 point road underdogs. There’s a strong chance the line could move prior to kick off, so here’s a deep dive into both programs so you can time your wager accordingly.

Penn State vs Iowa Odds

Odds as of October 3rd at FanDuel

Penn State Coming Off Decisive Victory Over Indiana

Penn State made a statement with a 24-0 win over Indiana in Week 5. While the Hoosiers may not be the conference title contender some predicted before the season, they are still a quality football team. The victory runs the Nittany Lions record to 5-0 on the year with their other wins coming against Wisconsin, Ball State, Auburn and Villanova.

Barring any unforeseen changes in the AP Poll, next weeks Penn State/Iowa game will be the first regular season Big Ten game between two Top 5 opponents without Ohio State being one of them since 1997 Michigan at Penn State.

— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) October 3, 2021

Not only did Penn State win the game in decisive fashion, they came out of the contest healthy. The only question marks heading into the Iowa game are offensive tackle Sal Wormley and defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon who are both listed as questionable. All of the key skill players are healthy and ready to go for what should be a rough and tumble affair with the Hawkeyes.

Iowa Rolling After Easy Win Versus Maryland

Iowa make quick work of Maryland on Saturday, allowing them to rest some key members to get ready for this weeks game. The final score was 51-24 but felt even more lopsided than the final result. The Hawkeyes were a clear step above right from the opening kick. Like Penn State, Iowa also finished the game in great shape from a health perspective. They don’t have any new injuries to keep an eye on throughout the week.

It can't be understated.

Hawkeye Nation shows out and makes a difference, no matter the location.#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/ocuFVONWUx

— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) October 2, 2021

There is one common opponent for the Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes. Both teams have played Indiana this year and both came away with convincing wins. Penn State won with the 24-0 shutout mentioned above, while Penn State won the game 34-6. Both teams appear to be a step above the middle tier programs in the big ten conference.

One other note to consider is the most recent result between these two teams. Iowa beat Penn State 41-21 last season.

Expect Line Movement Prior To Kickoff

The odds makers kept this line shy of a field goal and instead opted to manipulate the price tags. Betting on Iowa to cover will cost you -120 while a wager on Penn State at +2.5 is only -102. The advice would be if you like Iowa, make your play now before they’ll cost you a full field goal. If you’re leaning towards taking the Nittany Lions, wait until closer to kick off to see if you get the full three points.