Iowa reached the 10-win mark for 2023 after sneaking past Nebraska Friday for a 13-10 victory. The Hawkeyes have reached double digit wins and already earned a Big Ten Championship Game berth despite a slew of anemic offensive outputs. Combine Iowa's lack of offensive production with a slate of Big Ten West opponents that aren't exactly known for firepower, and the Hawkeyes found themselves playing in a lot of low scoring games.
The Iowa score totals were so abnormally low that oddsmakers didn't know how to react. The Hawkeyes' Week 8 over/under betting line was set at 30.5 points, an FBS record at the time. They would go on tie or break that record three more times in the next four weeks, including Saturday's 24.5-point over/under betting line. Even more remarkable is the fact the Hawkeyes and their opponents managed to hit the under in all four cases.
- Week 8 -- Minnesota 12, Iowa 10 (30.5-point over/under)
- Week 10 -- Iowa 10, Northwestern 7 (30.5-point over/under)
- Week 11 -- Iowa 22, Rutgers 0 (27.5-point over/under)
- Week 13 -- Iowa 13, Nebraska 10 (24.5-point over/under)
Iowa announced midseason that it will not bring back offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of longtime Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz, for the 2024 campaign. The school worked a clause into Brian Ferentz's contract last offseason that mandated at least 25 points per game and a bowl berth in 2023. He was well behind that pace at the time of the school's announcement.
A fresh offensive start and a Big Ten expansion that will add more potent offenses to the Hawkeyes schedule could create an uptick in scoring totals for Iowa in 2024.
In the meantime, it's highly doubtful oddsmakers will set another historic low over/under in the Hawkeyes next game, the Big Ten Championship against either Michigan or Ohio State.
