NCAA Football Week 3: Iowa vs Rutgers Betting Guide

Last week, head coach Kirk Ferentz and his Iowa Hawkeyes made history. Iowa routed UMass to make Ferentz the winningest coach in Big Ten history, surpassing the late great Woody Hayes.

This week, Ferentz and the Hawks have a much more difficult assignment. Iowa will open its Big Ten schedule at Rutgers against head coach Greg Schiano’s improving Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers and Ferentz, like Iowa and Ferentz, is a meat and potatoes program of methodical planning, fundamentals, and conservative culture. The two programs and coaches emphasize the elimination of mistakes.

Since neither Iowa nor Rutgers is prone to beating itself, the winner must beat the other team. Most likely, victory will come with bruises.

Iowa at Rutgers Preview

On Friday, September 19, 2025, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will host the Iowa Hawkeyes at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, NJ. Kickoff time is 8 p.m. ET with television coverage on FOX.

Handicapping Factors

This is the biggest game on the limited Friday night card in college football.

Since this is a Big Ten matchup on FOX, there will be considerable interest and betting handle.

Undertakers will look for a low-scoring game between teams known for stone-age offensive tactics and good defenses.

Iowa at Rutgers Predictions

Betting Factors to Consider

Iowa is the bigger brand with the casual sector as a consistent winner.

Although Rutgers has improved, they do not carry Iowa’s brand cache.

Casuals do take comfort with home sides, thus balancing out the brand issue baked into the price.

Iowa has the better players and dominates its series with Rutgers

Iowa at Rutgers Prime Best Bet: Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa at Rutgers Betting Tips

The Iowa Hawkeyes opened as 1.5-point road favorites with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights as 1.5-point home dogs.

The Hawkeyes at Scarlet Knights opened with a total of 45.5.

On the money line, Iowa opened as a -120 road favorite with Rutgers as a +100 home dog.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa ranks 103^rd for total offense, 64^th for scoring offense, 31^st for rushing, but 127^th for passing. Defensively, Iowa ranks 3^rd for total defense and 15^th for fewest points allowed.

Last game, the Iowa Hawkeyes routed the Massachusetts Minutemen 42-7 as 35-point home favorites. The game went over the total of 44.5. Iowa has a record of 2-1 straight up, 1-1-1 against the spread, and 1-2 under the total.

It was victory No. 206 for Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, making him the winningest coach in Big Ten history.

Seth Anderson caught two touchdown passes for the Hawkeyes. And then Iowa received a 20-yard TD run from Kaden Wetjen, a 95-yard punt return for a TD from Wetjen, and two field goals from Drew Stevens (54 and 27 yards).

Quarterback Mark Gronowski passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Iowa. Gronowski completed 16 of 24 passes for 179 yards.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers ranks 39^th for total offense, 12^th for scoring offense, and 9^th for fewest turnovers. In turn, Rutgers ranks 73^rd for total defense, 60^th for fewest points allowed, and 82^nd for takeaways.

Last week, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights beat FCS Norfolk 60-10 as 44.5-point home favorites. The game went over the total of 56. Overall, Rutgers is 3-0 straight up, 2-1 against the spread, and 3-0 over the total.

Overall, Kaliakmanis completed 18 of 26 passes in three quarters of action. And then Antwan Raymond ran for 79 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Rutgers.

Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 309 yards and a touchdown, his teammates scored twice on blocked punts, and Rutgers sailed past Norfolk State.

Iowa at Rutgers Head-to-Head and Key Stats

In the series between Rutgers and Iowa, the Hawkeyes have won and covered the most recent three meetings. Iowa and Rutgers went under the total in three of those four games.

At Rutgers, Iowa won and covered the last meeting 27-10. The game went over the total.

Rutgers has gotten the money in 11 of their most recent 16 home games. At the same time, Rutgers went over the total in 14 of their last 18 home games.

On the road, Iowa is 7-3-1 against the spread in its most recent ten matchups. Also, the Hawkeyes went under the total in eight of their last 11 away games.