North Dakota at Iowa Free Pick & Odds

North Dakota State is the top program in college football’s FCS division. Can NDSU pull a huge upset at neighbor and No. 13 Iowa of the Big Ten on Saturday afternoon? Don’t rule it out, although the Hawkeyes are two touchdown favorites on college football odds.

Here’s a Closer Look at the North Dakota at Iowa Free Pick, Odds & TV Info

When: Saturday, Sept. 17, Noon ET Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City TV: ESPN2 Opening NCAA Football Lines: Iowa -14.5 (48.5)

Why Bet on North Dakota State?

The Bison (2-0) come off a 50-44 OT win over Eastern Washington, another very good FCS program that beat Washington State of the Pac-12 in Week 1 this season. Tre Dempsey intercepted Eastern Washington quarterback Gage Gubrud on the first possession of overtime and Lance Dunn ran 25 yards on North Dakota State's first offensive play. North Dakota State forced overtime by going 71 yards in 14 plays, tying the game at 44 on Cam Pedersen’s 28-yard field goal. Eastern’s Jordan Dascalo’s 49-yard attempt with six seconds left was wide left. The five-time defending FCS champion Bison piled up 537 yards, 280 on the ground. Dunn finished with 128 yards and two TDs on 14 carries, all career highs. He had a 41-yard TD run on the first play of the fourth quarter and, through two games, is NDSU’s leading rusher with 178 yards on 26 carries and an average of 6.8 yards per carry. NDSU is the first Missouri Valley Football Conference team to open a season with back-to- back OT wins and improved to 4-5 in overtime games. After missing the second half of the season-opener with a shoulder separation, linebacker Nick DeLuca returned to the NDSU lineup to make a game-high 15 tackles in the victory. DeLuca, a senior, scored on a 40-yard interception return – his sixth career pick – midway through the fourth quarter to give NDSU a 10-point lead. North Dakota State has an 8-3 record against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents and has won five in a row against FBS foes since 2010 with wins at Kansas (6-3), Minnesota (37-24), Colorado State (22-7), Kansas State (24-21) and Iowa State (34-14). NDSU did not play an FBS opponent in 2015. Seven FCS teams have claimed wins over FBS opponents in the first two weeks of the 2016 season. This is the third meeting between North Dakota State and Iowa in football. The Hawkeyes won 39-0 in 1946 and 59-0 in 1947, both in Iowa City. NDSU is 2-1 against Big Ten opponents as a Division I program.

Why Bet on Iowa?

The Hawkeyes crushed Iowa State 42-3 in Week 2. C.J. Beathard threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in Iowa’s biggest win over the rival Cyclones in 18 seasons under coach Kirk Ferentz. Matt VandeBerg had 129 yards receiving and a touchdown for the Hawkeyes. LeShun Daniels rushed for 112 yards and a TD to help the Hawkeyes beat Iowa State in consecutive seasons for the first time in six years. The Hawkeyes controlled the game from the start, scoring on four of their five first-half possessions. Iowa had a 132-8 advantage in total offense through the game’s first four possessions and led 14-0 with nearly six minutes remaining in the first quarter. Iowa churned out 435 yards of total offense for the game, using a balanced attack with 198 yards rushing and 237 yards coming through the air. The Hawkeyes had 25 first downs and possessed the ball for more than 32 minutes. Iowa had a 200-yard passer, 100-yard rusher, and a 100-yard receiver in the game. The Hawkeyes’ 39-point margin of victory is the largest in the series since 1997 during a 63-20 win in Ames. Iowa has scored 45 and 42 points, respectively, in its first two games and ranks sixth in Big Ten scoring (43.5 ppg). The Hawkeyes have not scored 40 points in three consecutive games since opening the 1997 season with 66, 54, and 63 points. Iowa has won 14 consecutive regular season games dating back to the 2015 season. The Hawkeyes have won nine straight home games, tied for the third-longest active streak in the country (FSU, 22; Clemson, 17; Iowa, 9, Michigan State, 9).

My Free Pick

Iowa has never lost to an FCS school. It won’t here, either, but take the points on college football lines.