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When Minnesota and Iowa face off in a Big Ten clash on Friday night, it might look something like the Spiderman meme where two Spidermen are pointing at one another, realizing they're looking at the same person. The Gophers, who came into 2020 off an 11-win season and ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, opened their season with two consecutive losses before picking up a win against Illinois last week. Iowa, a team ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll and hoped to compete for a division title in 2020, opened its season with two losses before picking up a win against Michigan State last week.

Which one is ready to make it two in a row?

If recent history is any indication, it's more likely to be the Hawkeyes. While Minnesota holds a 62-49-2 edge in the all-time series between these Big Ten foes, Iowa's gotten the best of the Gophers lately. The Hawkeyes have won five straight in the series and seven of the last eight. A win on Friday would give Iowa its longest win streak against Minnesota in the history of the rivalry.

A win is imperative for both teams because nobody wants to get off to a 1-3 start in an eight-game season. 

Storylines

Minnesota: While the 2020 season already feels like a disappointment, it's not too late to salvage the year. Losing to Michigan in the season-opener wasn't a gut-punch, but the loss to Maryland in Week 2 was unexpected. Now, coming off a win against a depleted Illinois squad, the Gophers look to keep the momentum going. While the offense has done its part -- the Gophers rank third in the Big Ten in points per drive -- the defense has lagged. It's allowing 2.89 points per drive, which ranks 12th in the conference, though the number improved greatly against Illinois last week. This week we find out if it's a result of a young Gophers defense finding itself or if it was just benefitting from playing a poor Illinois offense.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes offense needed last week's game against Michigan State. While the defense had held its own in the team's two losses to Purdue and Northwestern, the offense had consistently struggled to put points on the board. The struggles stood out in the red zone, where Iowa scored touchdowns on only four of its eight possessions. Against Michigan State, the Hawkeyes found the end zone five times in seven trips, and while they'd like to do better, getting to the red zone seven times in one game is a feat in itself.

Viewing information

Date: Friday, Nov. 13 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: TCF Bank Stadium -- Minneapolis
TV: FS1 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)

Iowa at Minnesota prediction, picks

It's challenging to get a read on this one because both of these teams showed flaws in their first two games, but both flaws were less noticeable during wins last week. We don't know whether it was a sign of things to come or a result of the teams they were facing. While I would lean more toward taking the under in this contest (it could be windy in Minneapolis on Friday night), if you're looking for a play on the spread, I have a slight lean toward Minnesota. Home teams tend to perform better on short weeks, particularly home underdogs against the spread. Pick: Minnesota +3.5

Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 11? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread -- all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,900 in profit over the past four-plus seasons -- and find out.