WagerTalk college football handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Iowa vs Kentucky Citrus Bowl betting preview for Saturday, January 1. At the time of posting, the Wildcats from the SEC have climbed to a 3-point favorite over the Hawkeyes from the Big Ten, with the total sitting at 44 points.<\/p>\n
Stay on top of the latest College Football<\/a> updates direct from Las Vegas!<\/em><\/p>\n This Saturday afternoon, the 10-3 Iowa Hawkeyes travel to the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida to take on the 9-3 Kentucky Wildcats in the New Years Day Vrbo Citrus Bowl.<\/p>\n The Hawkeyes enter the January 1st clash against Kentucky coming off a crushing 39 point loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Championship Game early last month and will look to rebound here on Saturday with their first Bowl victory since 2019’s Holiday Bowl win over the USC Trojans.<\/p>\n However, that will be easier said than done as Kentucky have shown themselves to be an almost complete team this season on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n The Wildcats rank 1st in the SEC this season on rushing offense, clocking up an impressive 215.5 ypg on the ground on average this year, including 282 ypg over their last three starts as well (4th best in the nation), as they continue to hammer RB Christopher Rodriguez Jr. through opposing run defenses this season to the tune of 1,272 yards total.<\/p>\n And it’s not only on the ground where Kentucky have found success this year, with the Wildcats passing for 2,593 yards through the air off the arm of QB Will Levis, with favored target WR Wan’Dale Robinson putting up 1,164 yards and six touchdowns as well this season as Kentucky continue to pose a serious dual threat to opposing defenses this year.<\/p>\n The danger for the Iowa Hawkeyes ahead of this one is that their run defense got blitzed for 211 yards on the ground against Michigan back in the Big Ten Championship Game, giving up an average of 6.2 yards per rush attempt in that game, almost twice their season average. Wisconsin also managed to hang 166 yards of rushing offense on Iowa as well in a 27-7 loss for the Hawkeyes back in late October, and against another elite level rushing offense here on Saturday in the Wildcats, it’s hard to see Iowa being able to stop Kentucky in this one, especially with the fact that the Wildcats have a much more competent passing game than the Badgers as well this season.<\/p>\n The Wildcats always raise their game against high-level opposition as they’ve gone an impressive 21-7-1 ATS in their last 29 versus a team with a winning overall record on the season, while the Hawkeyes are just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games coming off a blowout loss of more than 20 points in their previous game.<\/p>\n Take the Kentucky Wildcats minus the short number on Saturday to win and cover in Orlando against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the New Years Day Citrus Bowl.<\/span><\/p>\n Interested in placing a bet on Saturday’s Citrus Bowl? BetMGM is offering a $1,000 Risk-Free Bet<\/a> for first-time bettors in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Tennessee, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Washington DC, Wyoming, Mississippi, Arizona and Louisiana.<\/em><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc40\ud83e\udd11 @thegoldsheet<\/a> is feeling the Holiday Spirit! From today until January 2nd, you can have FREE ACCESS to the Gold Sheet. \u2014 WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) December 24, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n
\n Citrus Bowl<\/th>\n Betting Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Point Spread:<\/td>\n Kentucky Wildcats -3 vs Iowa Hawkeyes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Total:<\/td>\n 44 Points<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Game Time:<\/td>\n 1:00pm ET \/ 10:00am PT on Saturday, January 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Stadium:<\/td>\n Camping World Stadium in Orlando<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n TV:<\/td>\n ABC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Citrus Bowl Analysis<\/h2>\n
\n
\n1\u20e3 Head over to https:\/\/t.co\/AXasP2W2lw<\/a>.
\n2\u20e3 Sign in with Username: Free@GoldSheet.com
\nPassword: FREE
\n3\u20e3Enjoy NFL, CFB, NBA, and CBB! pic.twitter.com\/V3irjZNsEl<\/a><\/p>\n