The Hawkeyes (12-1 SU, 7-5-1 ATS) and Cardinal (11-2 SU, 9-4 ATS) will meet for the first time ever. Iowa hasn't won a bowl game since 2010 and hasn’t been a Rose Bowl victor since 1958. Stanford is appearing in its 14th Rose Bowl in school history, tallying an even 6-6-1 SU record in its previous trips to Pasadena. Both teams have trends running in their favor to cover the spread in this matchup, as the Hawkeyes are 40-17 ATS versus good rushing teams (200+ rushing YPG) since 1992, and 17-4 ATS against incredible offensive teams (37+ PPG) over the same time period. Meanwhile, the Cardinal are 38-15 ATS after a game where they committed no turnovers since 1992, and 6-0 ATS coming off one or more straight Overs this season. Iowa is closely watching an ankle injury suffered by RB Jordan Canzeri last game, which has him listed as questionable. The team is otherwise healthy, as is Stanford, which lists only DB Ronnie Harris (ankle) as probable to play.
Which school will cap off an excellent season with a Rose Bowl victory? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the bowl season. The experts are heating up with a combined 55% ATS (62-51) success rate in the past month of college football Best Bets, highlighted by StatFox Scott’s strong 60% ATS mark (22-15) during this run that began on Nov. 19. StatFox Brian has a healthy 58% ATS record (14-10) in college football Best Bets since Week 13.
Iowa’s offense has performed well on the season, averaging 32.1 PPG (47th in nation) and gaining 394 total YPG. QB C.J. Beathard has led the team’s offensive efforts, connecting on 202-of-329 passes (61.4%) for 2,570 yards, 15 TD and 4 INT. However, the Hawkeyes’ ground game has been responsible for the majority of their points this season. The team’s leading rusher, RB Jordan Canzeri (178 carries, 976 yds, 12 TD), was sorely missed in the school’s last game against Michigan State – the team managed just 40 rushing yards after he left the game with an ankle injury, and failed to find the end zone in his absence. If Canzeri is unable to play on New Year’s Day, Iowa will be looking to backup RBs Leshun Daniels Jr. (135 carries, 609 yds, 8 TD) and Akrum Wadley (74 carries, 463 yds, 7 TD) to pick up the slack. Iowa’s defense has been solid this season, giving up just 18.5 PPG (18th in FBS) and 334 total YPG. The squad has performed even better on the road, allowing 16.0 PPG in the past three weeks and generating 2.3 turnovers per game in that period.
Stanford’s offense has scored at least 30 points in all but the first game of the season, and currently average 37.2 PPG (17th in nation) and 436 total YPG of total offense. QB Kevin Hogan helms the offensive squad, completing 194-of-283 throws (68.6%) for 2,644 yards, 24 TD and seven interceptions. Hogan has added another five touchdowns on the ground as well as a receiving touchdown. RB Christian McCaffrey, the Heisman runner-up and NCAA leader in generating yards from scrimmage this season, will test the opponent’s run defense coming off a victory against USC in which he ran for 207 yards and a touchdown, tallied 105 receiving yards and a score, and threw an 11-yard TD pass for good measure. The Cardinal defense limits opponents to 23.1 PPG (40th in FBS) and 375 total YPG, but has shown signs of weakness in recent weeks in giving up 26.7 PPG and 462 total YPG in their last three games. Stanford has produced only 12 turnovers in its 13 games, including four straight contests with less than two takeaways.
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