When Iowa visits Penn State on Saturday, they'll be facing a team on one of the hottest runs in the country. The Nittany Lions were dead in the water at the beginning of October after getting flattened by Michigan, but they've gone on a 4-0 run that includes a win over then-No. 2 Ohio State. Penn State debuted at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings this past week, but even with their current run they are far from perfect.
Iowa vs. Penn State 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
Can Iowa come to Happy Valley and knock Penn State off their hot streak?
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Despite having a talented running back in Saquon Barkley, Penn State has been hit-or-miss trying to run the ball. They did hit like crazy last week, though, albeit against Purdue. They can stay in contention for a New Year's Six bowl game by winning out, but they can't get ahead of themselves or else Iowa will spoil all the good vibes in Happy Valley at the moment.
Iowa’s 2016 season is a far cry from their memorable 2015 run. They’ve already lost three games, including one to a FCS team. That FCS team was North Dakota State, however, and the Hawkeyes have managed to stay competitive in every game by playing good defense. The formula hasn’t changed, and likely never will as long as Kirk Ferentz is in charge.
How to watch, stream, and listen
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Radio: Iowa | Penn State
Online streaming: BTN2Go
Spread: Penn State is favored by 7.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Black Shoe Diaries for Penn State fans and Black Heart Gold Pants for Iowa fans.
Three big things to know
1. After looking like the season was about to hit the skids in the first half against Minnesota, Penn State has gone on a tear. They held off the Gophers, crushed Maryland and Purdue, and pulled off maybe the biggest upset of the season against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have changed from the hunter to the hunted, though, and this is a game that has traditionally given them issues.
2. Iowa hasn’t had the follow-up they wanted to last year’s 12-0 regular season, but they’ve been in every game so far and are a difficult team to put away. The big question in this game is whether they’ll be able to score enough to keep up with a good Penn State offense, but they’ve shown they can keep things tight.
3. Penn State’s offense is quite explosive, but they’ve had issues with efficiency all year. They finally had a strong game last week against Purdue in that regard, but Purdue to Iowa is a significant step up in difficulty.
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