Did Vegas not watch these two teams play this weekend?

Minnesota dominated the previously unbeaten Nittany Lions at home, while the Hawkeyes continued to uninspire in Saturday’s road loss to Wisconsin. In Saturday’s victory over Penn State, the Golden Gophers controlled the game from start to finish with a score line that made the game look much closer than how it actually was.

Quarterback Tanner Morgan will cause problems for Iowa, with the sophomore becoming more efficient every week. Saturday’s game was his best yet, going 18-20 for 330 yards and three touchdowns. Although Iowa’s secondary has improved over the course of the season, it has not faced as efficient of a quarterback since Iowa State’s Brock Purdy in Week 3. Iowa should be able to limit what Minnesota does on the ground, so Morgan will have to be the X-factor for the Golden Gophers once again this week.

Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley, who has looked indifferent for large amounts of the season, has proven that he does not have the clutch gene, and Iowa is going to need to find answers elsewhere.

The two teams both like to control time of possession, but Minnesota has done it much more effectively by capitalizing on scoring when it matters most.

Ultimately, both these teams have found themselves in tight games throughout the season, but Minnesota has been able to find a way to win even in the most unlikely of circumstances. Even though this game is at Kinnick, the Hawkeyes should not be trusted as the favorite due to their inability to win close games.