Big Ten Football play begins this weekend in college football on Saturday when the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised live on ABC or ESPN depending on your region. Currently the odds for the game have Iowa as a small road favorite to win.

This game has taken a big turn in the point spread already. The Golden Gophers opened as a 3.5-point favorite to beat Iowa, but since the opener Iowa has gotten a lot of the sharp action, with the Hawkeyes now favored by 1 point across the board. That's a big shift for a road team in just a few days.

But then again, both of these teams were expected to be pretty pedestrian this season. Minnesota was picked to finish last in the Legends Division of the Big Ten and Iowa was tabbed as the second worst team in that division. They've started the season at 7-1 combined but now hit their conference schedule. Neither school has played anybody that's any good, but getting wins early in the season will help them potentially make a bowl game.

Minnesota freshman QB Mitch Leidner takes over for Philip Nelson, who won't be able to play because of injury. Nelson not playing probably has quite a bit to do with the line movement in this one. Leidner didn't have to throw the ball very much and the Gophers didn't have a lot of yards through the air. But he did show a mobile ability with Leidner collecting better than 150 yards with his feet.

The Iowa defense is pretty solid and Leidner probably won't be able to get that kind of yardage in this one. If they force the Gophers to have to drive the length of the field, it could be a long day for Minnesota. But the Gophers have been very good at running the football this season.

Minnesota's defense, on the other hand, haven't played a substantial offense. They've played three teams at home against teams they were better than and traveled out west to beat New Mexico State. They've averaged nearly 42 points per game and have held opponents to 20 per contest.

Iowa has been scoring 35 per game. They've totaled three straight victories after a loss to Northern Illinois. Jake Rudock will need to keep the ball on the ground with the Hawkeye running game. Iowa is attempting 54.5 rush attempts per game this season, ranking sixth most in the FBS.

This will be a physical game with both offensive lines looking to dominate. Expect a solid, old-school Big Ten type of game in this one. Remember, it's a rivalry game, playing for the Floyd of Rosedale.

Free Pick: Minnesota 21, Iowa 20

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