Check out our free Iowa Hawkeyes vs Missouri Tigers pick and preview for this CFB TransPerfect Music City Bowl game in Nashville. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this TransPerfect Music City Bowl CFB matchup.
ESPN will be covering the TransPerfect Music City Bowl matchup between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Missouri Tigers, set for 2:30 ET on Monday, December 30th, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Even though Missouri is technically the home team, the game is being played on a neutral site. The Tigers are favored by -2.5 points, with the over/under line at 43.5 points. The Tigers are 9-3 this season, while the Hawkeyes are 8-4.
Hawkeyes vs. Tigers Matchup At A Glance
- Sport: CFB
- Teams: Iowa Hawkeyes at Missouri Tigers
- Where: Nashville at Nissan Stadium
- Date: Monday, December 30th
- Betting Odds MISSR -2.5, IOWA +105 | MISSR -125 O/U 43.5
Hawkeyes Preview:
Iowa enters their Week 1 matchup against Missouri with an 8-4 record. They’ve been strong at home, going 5-1, but have struggled on the road with a 2-3 mark. The Hawkeyes have been favored in 10 of their 12 games this season, holding a 7-3 record as the favorite.
Iowa’s over/under record is 8-3, with their games averaging 45.1 points. This week’s line is set at 43.5 points, and their average over/under line has been 40.2 points, with an average margin of +5.4 points.
Against the spread, Iowa is 5-5-1 this season. At home, they are 3-2-1 ATS, while on the road, they are 2-3. As the favorite, they have a 5-4-1 ATS record.
Hawkeyes Offense Breakdown
Iowa’s rushing attack has been the focal point of their offense, averaging 200.6 yards per game, which ranks 23rd in the nation. Kaleb Johnson has been the standout performer, amassing 1,537 rushing yards and scoring 21 touchdowns while averaging 6 yards per carry. Overall, the Hawkeyes are scoring 28 points per game, placing them 49th nationally, and they are ranked 69th in our offensive power rankings as they head into week 1.
Cade McNamara leads the passing game with 1,017 yards and a passer rating of 76. He has thrown six touchdowns and five interceptions. Iowa ranks 128th in passing yards per game and 105th in passer rating. Jacob Gill is the leading receiver with 382 yards and two touchdowns.
Hawkeyes Team Defense
Iowa's defense has been a strong point this season, ranking 7th nationally by allowing just 17.1 points per game. They’ve given up an average of 118.1 rushing yards per game (34th) and 196.2 passing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 76.6 and a 62.6% completion rate against Iowa’s defense.
In their latest game, Iowa’s defense allowed just 10 points against Nebraska. They gave up 334 total yards, including 144 rushing yards on 43 attempts and 190 passing yards, while forcing no interceptions.
Tigers Preview:
Iowa enters their Week 1 matchup against Missouri with an 8-4 record. They’ve been strong at home, going 5-1, but have struggled on the road with a 2-3 mark. The Hawkeyes have been favored in 10 of their 12 games this season, holding a 7-3 record as the favorite.
Iowa’s over/under record is 8-3, with their games averaging 45.1 points. This week’s line is set at 43.5 points, and their average over/under line has been 40.2 points, with an average margin of +5.4 points.
Against the spread, Iowa is 5-5-1 this season. At home, they are 3-2-1 ATS, while on the road, they are 2-3. As the favorite, they have a 5-4-1 ATS record.
Tigers Offense Breakdown
Missouri’s offense ranks 45th in points per game, averaging 29.1, and they are 40th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 10. Their third-down conversion rate is impressive, ranking 16th nationally at 46.7%. The Tigers also focus on the run, averaging 39.9 rushing attempts per game and 172.6 rushing yards per game.
Brady Cook leads the passing game with 2,248 yards and a 63.3% completion rate. He has thrown nine touchdowns and just two interceptions, with a passer rating of 94. Nate Noel leads the rushing attack with 804 yards, averaging 5 yards per carry. Theo Wease Jr. has 809 receiving yards on 55 catches.
Tigers Team Defense
Missouri's defense has been solid this season, ranking 17th nationally by allowing just 20.1 points per game. They’ve given up 134 rushing yards per game and 185.5 passing yards, ranking 37th in the country.
In their latest game, Missouri allowed 21 points but kept Arkansas from scoring through the air, giving up 229 passing yards and 148 rushing yards on 35 attempts.
Hawkeyes vs Tigers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis
- Across their ten previous road games, Iowa has an ATS mark of 4-6. Their straight up record in these matchups was 5-5 while averaging 14 points per game.
- When looking at their past three home matchups, Missouri has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 23 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
- The last three games that Iowa was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 0-3 while going 0-3 straight up.
- Through their last three games as the favorite, the Missouri Tigers have an ATS record of 3-0 and a straight up mark of 3-0.
Iowa Hawkeyes vs Missouri Tigers Free Pick
- KnupSports.com Free Betting Pick: Iowa Hawkeyes +2.5 Be sure to check out our other CFB Football betting previews for this week. KnupSports.com also updates their sports betting picks page daily with plays across all sports.
