Iowa Hawkeyes vs Missouri Tigers
Tuesday, 12/28/10, 10:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Missouri PK
Current Betting Line: Missouri -2.5
Opening Total: 46.5
Current Total: 46.5
Iowa will meet Missouri of the Big 12 Conference in the 2010 Insight Bowl after losing the last three games and finishing the regular season with a 7-5 record. The Hawkeyes had to deal with numerous off-the-field issues, but none bigger than suspending All-Big Ten wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos on drug charges. Head coach Kirk Ferentz immediately dismissed the senior from the team and also had to announce that sophomore running back Adam Robinson would not play in the bowl game for failing to comply with “team expectations and policies”. “To finish up like we did, I think, left certainly a bad taste in everyone’s mouth,” Ferentz stated. “We’re very anxious to get back on the field and have a chance to compete again.” Iowa is 8-2 ATS as an underdog over the past three years and currently getting points on the college football lines page.
The Hawkeyes finished the season bowl eligible for the 10th straight year and will be playing in their 25th bowl games. Iowa hold a 13-10-1 all-time bowl record and has recorded a 5-3 mark under Ferentz in postseason play. The program has played seven games in the state of Arizona, posting a 2-5 record, including a 34-27 loss versus the Arizona Wildcats on September 18. The Big Ten Conference is 2-4 in the Insight Bowl. Seven of Iowa’s 12 regular season opponents earned bowl invitations, while posting a 77-63 combined overall record this season.
Missouri will be facing Iowa for the first time since 1910 in a nationally televised contest in Tempe, Arizona on Tuesday night. The Tigers, ranked 12th in the last BCS standings, come into the game with a 10-2 overall record, including a 6-2 conference mark. “We really got better as the year went on,” said head coach Gary Pinkel. “We had a lot of players who had really good years. That’s why we finished with the record we did.” The school will be playing in its sixth-consecutive bowl game, which has replaced the program’s record of four in a row. In all, the 2010 bowl game will mark Missouri’s 28th appearance in a bowl game, posting a 12-15 record in the process. The team was 7-5 ATS on the season.
The Tigers offense averaged 401.1 yards despite the dismissal of leading rusher Derrick Washington before the season. Missouri got at least 380 yards from three backs and a career-best 62.2 percent completion rate from second-year starter Blaine Gilbert. The team will be attempting to bounce back from last season’s 35-13 loss to Navy in the Texas Bowl. “I think there’s some things that we have to do better as coaches,” said Pinkel. “It’s really important to me for our players to have a good time, but it’s more important to win.” Missouri has done a lot of winning recently, tallying 40 wins since 2007, which ranks as 10th-most in the nation.
Bettors will be interested in the Tigers being 5-12 ATS versus teams with a winning record, while the Hawkeyes are 15-6 ATS in the same situation.
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