Rose Bowl Preview: Iowa vs Stanford TV info, live stream, odds, prediction
By Hayden Hyde
What to watch for when Heisman finalist Christian McCaffrey and the Stanford Cardinal meet the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Rose Bowl.
Iowa and Stanford missed the College Football Playoff, but Hawkeyes and Cardinal have a nice consolation prize in playing in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Related Story: Picking Every Bowl Game Against The Spread
This matchup won’t be flashy, so if you’re looking for points, this game isn’t for you. Neither team will light up the scoreboard, even with Stanford’s Heisman finalist Christian McCaffrey on the field.
The Iowa defense plays exceptionally well against the run. They’ve only given up 91.5 yards per game and 1 touchdown against winning Power Five teams. Their entire team was built around a tough defense, and I think it’ll be tough sledding for a Stanford team that struggled against Notre Dame’s run defense, which isn’t as good as Iowa’s.
McCaffrey will still get his yards in a variety of ways as he has all year, but I think Stanford will need to get Kevin Hogan in a rhythm early. It’ll be tough running against eight men in the box, so Hogan will have to keep the defense honest. They’ll need to prove there’s more to their offense than just running the football.
The best matchup in this game will be in the trenches. Stanford’s offensive line is incredible, and Iowa’s defensive line isn’t too far behind. The Cardinal line features four seniors, not to mention Outland Trophy winner Joshua Garnett.
Here are the game day details for the game:
- Date: January 1, 2016
- Time: 4:00 PM
- Location: Pasadena, California
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: Watch ESPN
- Spread: Stanford -6
Prediction
This is going to be a very physical game, so I doubt either team will score more than 30 points. Vegas has Stanford as a six-point favorite, but I’m going to take the underdog as Kirk Ferentz closes his best season at Iowa with one loss.
I think Michigan State is superior compared to Stanford, and Iowa probably should’ve won that game. They lost the turnover battle, only rushed for 51 yards, and they still took the Spartans to the brink.
More saturday blitz: Best College Football Player Born in Each State
Both of these teams are extremely good, that’s why they were both in playoff contention, but I think Iowa matches up well with them and can slow McCaffrey and Hogan down enough that the Iowa offense will be able to make enough plays and win a defensive-oriented game.