Iowa Football: Three Under the Radar Games to Watch on Bye Week

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

A look at three games you can watch during Iowa’s bye week

Iowa football is on a much-needed bye week after a tough home loss to the Wisconsin Badgers. Although, while bye weeks are beneficial for players, fans hate them because it means a Saturday without their favorite team playing.

The college football season has had a lot of upsets and craziness this year, so it should still be a great weekend of college football even without the Iowa Hawkeyes. It’s still leaves a three-hour void on Saturday, though.

This week to fill the void there are three games featuring two ranked teams. Washington – Utah, Wisconsin – Nebraska and Clemson – Florida State, all have the expected amount of hype. These are three games that can drastically change the College Football Playoff outlook, as well as conference races.

That being said, most people like to watch more than one game at a time or flip between games on commercial breaks or halftimes. With that in mind, here are three under the radar games to watch in week nine of the college football season instead of being sad that Iowa isn’t playing.

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

2 Michigan Wolverines (7-0) @ Michigan State Spartans (2-5)

This game had a chance to be a top-25 matchup at the beginning of the season, but the Michigan State Spartans have imploded and are on a five-game losing streak. Sure, the Wolverines are 24-point favorites on the road and have dominated everyone they’ve played this year, but this game has the potential to be sneaky good.

The Spartans desperately need a win if they want to be bowl eligible this year, and there’s no one they’d rather get their season back on track against than Michigan. Their in-state rival might start the game with less energy knowing Michigan State’s struggles this year, and that could cost them in a rivalry game.

The great thing about rivalries is that anything can happen. The nation witnessed that last year when the Spartans won in the most improbable way — returning a botched punt for a touchdown as time expired.

That won’t happen again, but the same excitement is possible. The game is in East Lansing, therefore the Spartans home field advantage should help them. Besides, just because the Spartans are 2-5 doesn’t mean their fans stopped going to games, and their hatred toward Michigan remains high.

When it comes down to it, it makes sense that many expect Michigan to blow the Spartans out of the water and then some. The Wolverines have scored at least 40 points and won by at least 17 in six of seven games, and Michigan State is coming in with a five-game losing streak. But upsets happen when people are least expecting it, and the intensity an underdog plays with against their rival can’t be understated.

If nothing else, Michigan is one of the most fun teams to watch in the nation, no matter how much they’re up by. They’re one of the most athletic teams in the country and superstars like Jabrill Peppers want to make their mark in Michigan history against a big rival like Michigan State.

Mandatory Credit: Sean Pokorny-USA TODAY Sports

13 Boise State Broncos (7-0) @ Wyoming Cowboys (5-2)

The game won’t be played on a blue field, but it should be exciting, nonetheless. The same year that former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen makes the leap with Washington, the Broncos are also back in the national spotlight. Boise State has not been ranked this high since 2011, when they finished 12-1, and a lot of people have still not seen them play.

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While the knock on Boise State is still their schedule, Wyoming is not a bad team and is their toughest remaining opponent. Wyoming is 5-2 with their only losses coming against Nebraska and a good Eastern Michigan team. Boise State is still favored by 13.5 points because of Wyoming’s sub-par defense, but both teams can score and it can turn into a shootout if Boise State isn’t careful.

Wyoming has topped 35 points in all five wins this year, but their scoring defense only ranks 90th in the nation. Plus, stout defenses like Nebraska and Eastern Michigan halted Wyoming’s offense, and Boise State ranks 26th in scoring defense this season.

Boise State shouldn’t be put on upset alert right away considering their dominating history against Wyoming. That being said, this is the best Wyoming team in a long time, well before the Chris Petersen era. Sometimes all it takes is confidence and being blown out by the same team every year to finally ignite a fire in a team.

While Wyoming upsetting Boise State might not happen, Boise State is a potential top-10 finisher come season’s end. Not to mention the Broncos still have a very small chance of crashing the College Football Playoff if they finish 13-0.

Even if they are left out of the Playoff, the old script of whether Boise State should be taken seriously will return very soon. In that case, it would be a shame if you didn’t see their dynamic trio on offense — Brett Rypien, Jeremy McNichols and Thomas Sperbeck — and a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 30 points in 2016.

Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Miami (FL) Hurricanes (4-3) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-5)

Miami and Notre Dame have both seen time in the AP Poll top-25 this year. Neither lasted long, and both desperately need a win to get their season back on track. Notre Dame is fighting to become bowl eligible, and a loss to Miami would make it very hard. At the same time, Miami is looking to end a three-game skid and prove that their top-10 ranking wasn’t a fluke.

Despite Miami only being a 1.5 point favorite, the real intrigue in the game are the quarterbacks. Brad Kaaya (Miami) and DeShone Kizer (Notre Dame) are both expected to enter the NFL Draft after this season and be high draft picks. They’re consistently some of the highest projected quarterbacks and overall picks in the 2017 Draft.

Kaaya has completed 61.7 percent of his passes and thrown 12 touchdowns to five interceptions. On the other hand, Kizer is completing 58.1 percent of passes and thrown 14 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Also, Brian Kelly has pulled Kizer a couple of times this year in favor of Malik Zaire when Kizer struggles.

Kizer will also have a much tougher test on Saturday, though. The Hurricanes’ own 12th ranked scoring defense and have intercepted six passes this season, as well. While Notre Dame has intercepted five passes, they only rank 69th in scoring defense this season.

Plus, teams have torn them apart through the air at times. In fact, four teams have completed at least 60 percent of passes and thrown two touchdowns against Notre Dame this season, all resulting in losses. If Kaaya starts to find a rhythm it could be another long afternoon for the Irish.

The Brad Kaaya – DeShone Kizer debates will happen all offseason if both choose to leave for the NFL Draft. Therefore, there will be a lot of emphasis on this game since they’re squaring off head-to-head. Plus, the actual game should be close with both teams desperate for a win.