Pete Ruden’s Picks (8-0-1, $800) 

Iowa -2.5

Iowa has plenty of advantages in this game, and believe it or not, a lot of those come on the offensive side of the ball.

Now, some of that has to do with the Rutgers defense. The Scarlet Knights are giving up an average of 24 points per game against FBS teams (both from the MAC), including 31 to Ohio in a three-point victory in Week 1.

Rutgers ranks 107th in Finishing Drives allowed and 94th in Success Rate allowed. That means the Knights allow opposing offenses to stay on schedule and put touchdowns on the board instead of field goals when they get into scoring position.

Iowa has shown its offense can move the ball down the field when it stays on schedule on first and second down, so that’s a massive advantage on the road. 

On the other side, Rutgers ranks 107th in Finishing Drives and 101st in explosiveness. The only way the Knights will put points on the board will be marching methodically down the field — a tall task against a Phil Parker defense that ranks 33rd in Success Rate allowed.

With a team that averages under four yards per carry, I don’t see that happening. 

Action Network senior writer Collin Wilson makes Iowa a favorite of about eight points, so I’ll take the Hawkeyes at a field goal or better.

Under 45.5 

Neither of these offenses has impressed much thus far. Iowa struggles when it gets into a hole on early downs, and Rutgers hasn’t found a way to consistently put points on the board when it has chances.

Considering that both of these teams rank outside the top 100 in explosiveness, they’ll need to move the ball down the field with methodical drives. 

With the Scarlet Knights running the ball 52% of the time and Iowa running it on 66% of snaps, the clock will be ticking early and often. 

I’m going to trust these Greg Schiano and Kirk Ferentz defenses to keep this game under the total.

Lock of the Week: Kansas -13 vs. West Virginia

This is one of the best situational spots on the board this week. 

West Virginia is coming into this conference clash off an outright win over Pitt in the Backyard Brawl as a touchdown underdog. The Mountaineers are undoubtedly riding high right now.

But this is the same team that averaged 2.6 yards per carry and threw for under 200 yards in an outright loss to Ohio. 

Kansas, meanwhile, is coming off a bye. This team already ranks top-25 in Success Rate and top-35, so I expect the Jayhawks to crush a WVU team in a major letdown spot.

For what it’s worth, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold has gone 5-1 against the spread when coming off a bye week. I think that’ll move to 6-1 this week.

Brad Schultz’s Picks (8-0-1, $800) 

Iowa -2.5 

Traveling across the country on a short week will be very tough for Iowa, but I think it simply out-toughs Rutgers in this one. The Scarlet Knights are far from the afterthought they used to be under Chris Ash, but the Hawkeyes simply have better talent in the trenches. Rutgers will keep this a close game throughout, but Iowa’s rushing attack will be too much for the Knights to overcome. 

Under 45.5 

Kirk Ferentz is notorious for revealing his disdain for Friday night football, but he might be secretly excited for this game because he can play it his way – with complimentary football. Let’s face it. Iowa’s offense will probably have a tough time getting anything going, so I would expect Ferentz to rely on his defense to give the Hawkeyes some short fields on offense. I’m far from a professional, but there’s no way this game goes over. 

Lock of the Week: Missouri -12.5 over South Carolina 

South Carolina entered the year with a ton of preseason hype, but Gamecock fans were quickly sent back to reality after Vanderbilt, yes Vanderbilt, escaped Williams-Brice Stadium with a dominating 31-7 victory. Head coach Shane Beamer was left befuddled on the sidelines, and losing star quarterback LaNorris Sellers to injury didn’t help matters. 

An uninspiring 24-11 win over a bad Virginia Tech team to open the year should have raised some eyebrows, and South Carolina is now stuck in the mud. 

Its punishment? Traveling to Columbia, Missouri to take on a red-hot Missouri squad. 

The Tigers have been clicking on all cylinders under quarterback Beau Pribula, posting an average of  51.7 points per game in their three wins. Pribula, a transfer from Penn State, has looked every bit the part of an SEC star quarterback, tossing seven touchdowns for 791 yards this year. 

I still believe South Carolina is a solid team, but potentially losing Sellers makes this a very tough spot for them. I’m taking Missouri to win by two scores at home.