Previewing the TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Iowa vs. Kentucky
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This is the preview for the TransPerfect Music City Bowl:
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Iowa (-2, 31) vs. Kentucky
Date: Saturday, December 31, 12:00 p.m. ET
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, TN)
Betting splits: 56% of handle, 52% of bets on Iowa -2
This is among the bowl games most adversely affected by the transfer portal and opt-outs, led by NFL first-round QB Will Levis opting out as he’s expected to be a high first-round NFL draft pick. Destin Wade, a native of Nashville—the site of the Music City Bowl—is expected to start for the Wildcats and he’ll be joined by a fourth-string running back as several other key offensive contributors are skipping the game.
Kentucky opened between a 2- and 3-point favorite, but the line has flipped to Iowa -2 after all the player moves. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is 11-6-1 ATS in bowl games, so maybe bettors are counting on him taking these games seriously and knowing how to prepare his teams no matter what players he has to work with.
Iowa has similar issues with starting QB Spencer Petras having his arm in a sling and backup Alex Padilla in the transfer portal, so third-string Joey Labas gets the nod. Iowa already has a well-earned reputation for tough defense and pedestrian offense (the Hawkeyes were 8-4 with the Under this season), and when you add in all the subs playing for Kentucky (and the regular players were 11-1 with the Under this season), the Under is the obvious way to look.
However, the oddsmakers know all this and have set the Over/Under at a historically (and hysterically) low total of 31 points, which would be the lowest this century. – Dave Tuley
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