" Iowa vs. Stanford Preview"

Iowa (12-1) was minutes away from berth into the College Football Playoff then Michigan State embarked on a memorable 22 play drive and crushed the hopes of the Hawkeyes. Even in defeat Iowa still has a lot to play for their headed out west to play in the “granddaddy of them all” the Rose Bowl against a team that is a constant face in Pasadena being David Shaw and his gritty Stanford (11-2) squad.

Game Breakdown:

Iowa showed it could stand toe-to-toe when it came to defense against Michigan State. Iowa’s defense is led by the Jim Thorpe winner CB Desmond King who will look for all-purpose running back Christian McCaffrey, McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders’ single-season record for all-purpose yards. Stanford’s defense is not where it has been in the past, but is still capable of putting up a good stand against opponents. Iowa resides in the heart of America, they have a blue collar mentality which means running the football and use a stout defense. Iowa counters with a three-headed monster at the RB position with Canzeri, Daniels, Jr., and Wadley all have combined to rush for 2,041 yards and 27 touchdowns. So ground and pound will be Iowa’s bread and butter. Kirk Ferentz will have the Hawkeyes ready to play and I believe Iowa’s defense will shut down Christian McCaffrey and beat Stanford.

Final Score Prediction: Iowa 23 vs. Stanford 17