Kentucky vs. Iowa: Music City Bowl Opening Line

Kentucky and Iowa will once again face off in the postseason. Even though it’s just under four weeks away from kickoff, we already have an opening line for the 2022 edition of the Music City Bowl.

Out in the desert Kentucky opened as a 1.5-point underdog. Elsewhere at FanDuel, you’ll find the Wildcats as a 3.5-point favorite over Iowa.

The total is eye-opening. As Corey Price noted, Kentucky and Iowa each rank in the top 15 of the FBS in scoring defense and the bottom 30 of the FBS in scoring offense. The two teams combined to average 36.5 points per game, fewer than 16 individual college football teams this fall. To make matters worse, Iowa announced starting quarterback Spencer Petras will miss the game. Kentucky will also likely be without its starting quarterback, Will Levis, as he prepares to get healthy for the NFL Draft. Put it all together and you have an over/under of 33.5 in the Music City Bowl.

The under hit in 11 of Kentucky’s 12 games in 2022. The oddsmakers adjusted more efficiently to Iowa’s offensive ineptitude, yet the over still only hit in four of the Hawkeyes’ 12 games. The Wildcats are 8-4 ATS this fall, compared to Iowa’s 7-5 ATS record.

Kentucky won the only previous meeting between these two teams, a 20-17 victory in last year’s Citrus Bowl. Mark Stoops snapped his alma mater’s FBS-leading non-conference win streak. Following four consecutive bowl game victories, Kentucky now has the FBS’ longest non-conference winning streak. The Cats’ last non-conference loss was against Northwestern in the 2017 Music City Bowl.

The Wildcats and the Hawkeyes will return to the gridiron Dec. 31. The game kicks off at Noon on ABC. Be there for the rock fight at Nissan Stadium by purchasing tickets through UK Athletics.