Western Michigan Broncos vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/16/2023

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 16, 2023

Venue:  Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA 

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  WMU +28.5, Iowa -28.5; Over/Under:  42 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  WMU +28, Iowa -28; Over/Under:  42 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  WMU +28.5, Iowa -28.5; Over/Under:  42.5 points

Western Michigan Broncos:  1-1 (0-0) (3rd place, MAC West)

Iowa Hawkeyes:  2-0 (0-0) (2nd place, Big Ten West)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Sean Murphy is on a HOT STREAK in CFB with a 10-3 start this season! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Western Michigan Broncos:  lost their last game on the road against the Syracuse Orange 48-7.

Iowa Hawkeyes:  won their last game on the road against the Iowa State Cyclones 20-13.

Western Michigan is entering this game with a 1-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against Syracuse 48-7. Jack Salopek was the starting QB and he completed 15/22 passes for 110 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Jalen Buckley led the team in rushing yards with 87 and 1 TD. Kenneth Womack led the receivers with 67 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Tate Hallock led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Nate Norris and Mason Nelson each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Iowa is entering this game with a 2-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Iowa State 20-13. Cade McNamara was the starting QB and he completed 12/22 passes for 123 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Jaziun Patterson led the team in rushing yards with 86 and 1 TD. Luke Lachey led the receivers with 58 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Cooper DeJean led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack in that one. Sebastian Castro came away with the only interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Western Michigan listed as a 28.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Western Michigan was terrible in their last game as they got blown out on the road by Syracuse and now they find themselves on the road again here. Iowa has looked good in their 2 games with a 2-0 record and they have a really good defense. Their defense has still been giving up points though and with the way they have been playing, they aren't going to shut out the Broncos here. Iowa hasn't had a great offense in their 2 games either. They upgraded their QB in the transfer portal by bringing in Cade McNamara from Michigan but he hasn't looked great in his first 2 starts and the offense isn't humming the way they thought it would. Iowa has the advantage of being at home here with their great defense but they are still going to give up points here and the way their offense has been playing lately, they might not even score enough points in this game to cover the spread. The best way to place a bet here is on Western Michigan to cover the spread in this game. 

Western Michigan Iowa Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 16, 2023 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Iowa 31 WMU 7.

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Western Michigan Broncos: 5-10 ATS as an underdog of 21.5 to 31 points. 1-7 ATS after 2 consecutive games where they forced no turnovers. 9-2 UNDER as an underdog. 10-3 UNDER in road games. 

Iowa Hawkeyes: 16-8 ATS as a favorite of 21.5 to 31 points. 12-4 ATS after allowing 100 or less rushing yards last game. 10-0 UNDER in non-conference games. 19-10 UNDER in all games.

Western Michigan Broncos:  None.

Iowa Hawkeyes:  J. Labas (QB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. J. Bostick (WR) Ques Sat - Foot. J. Heinz (DB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. B. Stephens (OL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. R. Osgood (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. C. Reames (DL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. J. Harris (DB) Out indefinitely - Suspension. N. Shannon (DL) out for season - Suspension.

“They were running with a mentality and chip on their shoulder. It takes some pressure off our pass game and opens up other things we want to do offensively.” - Lance Taylor after his team’s loss against Syracuse in their last game. 

“I feel very honored and appreciative. Whether it’s in football or in life, when you have something of significance, nobody gets there alone. Nobody gets into (coaching) for that reason (200 wins). It’s the people.” - Kirk Ferentz after his team’s win against ISU in their last game. 

WR Sambucci, Anthony

WR Dieudonne, Malique  

WR Womack, Kenneth 

TE Bosma, Blake 

QB Salopek, Jack  

RB Buckley, Jalen  

WR Vines, Diante

WR Anderson, Seth 

TE Lachey, Luke 

QB McNamara, Cade 

RB Johnson, Kaleb 

FB Large, Hayden

Passing: J. Salopek (280)

Rushing: J. Buckley (281)

Receiving: K. Womack (121)

Touchdowns: J. Buckley (2)

Passing: C. McNamara (314)

Rushing: K. Johnson (91)

Receiving: L. Lachey (131)

Touchdowns: K. Johnson (1)

Coaches:

Western Michigan Broncos: Lance Taylor (1st season)

Iowa Hawkeyes: Kirk Ferentz (25th season)