Iowa-Rutgers point total opened as lowest ever in college football history

Last updated: 2023/11/09 at 7:00 PM

BigP Published November 9, 2023

Iowa is making history yet again ahead of its game against Rutgers.

The point total for Saturday’s Rutgers-Iowa game in Iowa City opened at 28.5, setting a new record for the lowest opening total in college football history. Of course, this comes a week after the total between Iowa and Northwestern opened at 29.5, which set the then-record for the lowest opening total ever.

While the total for the Iowa-Northwestern game opened at 29.5, the number quickly moved, and the line closed at 32.5.

So far, there hasn’t appeared to be much movement on the total for Saturday’s game. As of Tuesday evening, the total sits at 28.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook and 29 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

That’s probably because both teams have had major problems putting points on the board this season. Iowa’s scoring just 13.5 points per game in conference play, while Rutgers has scored 19.7 points per game in Big Ten play.

Both teams also rank among the best in scoring defenses in the nation, with Iowa fourth (13.7 allowed points per game) and Rutgers at 20th (17.9 points allowed per game).

As Iowa continues to make history in the betting markets, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz has been notified that he’ll be removed from his position. Luckily for those wanting to bet the Under on Saturday, he’ll remain in his post through the end of the season.

When looking at trends, history favors the Under in Iowa games. The Under has hit at an exponential rate in the team’s games this season, going 7-2.

The Under has also hit at a high rate for Iowa games when it’s been set at 35 or lower over the last two seasons, going 6-1. The one time the Under didn’t cash? That happened in last year’s Iowa-Rutgers matchup, which the Hawkeyes won 27-10, going over the point total of 34.

Iowa winning in that game, though, has matched the trend of how it has done when the point total has been set at 35 points or fewer. The Hawkeyes are 6-1 straight up in such games.

FOX Sports Betting Analyst Sam Panayotovich gave his thoughts on the low total.

“I’d go over 27 … If you give me a 27 on Rutgers-Iowa, I could dabble.”

All stats courtesy of FOX Sports Research.