Insight Bowl betting has two teams located close to each other but in different conferences as Iowa State from the Big 12 faces Minnesota from the Big 10. The Golden Gophers are 2.5 point favorites on the college football betting line with a total of 48.5 in this matchup on New Year’s Eve in a game that can be seen on the NFL Network.
Insight Bowl betting has Iowa State making its first bowl appearance since 2005 while Minnesota is back for the second straight year. Iowa State and Minnesota have not played since 1997 even though they are just 215 miles apart. While neither team really belongs in a bowl game, the matchup is very important for both teams. Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster really needs a win so the Gophers finish with a winning season. The Gophers did not play well down the stretch as they lost four of their last six games. Once the team lost wide receiver Eric Decker they really fell apart on offense.
Insight Bowl betting is likely to be about defense. Minnesota is 98th in the country in offense and while that sounds bad, Iowa State is worse at 102n in the country. Minnesota was shut out twice this season. Iowa State should be able to contain the Minnesota offense since the Cyclones held opponents to 17 points or less in each of their six wins this season.
Iowa State only had one win this season over a team with a winning record but the season was still considered a success under first-year coach Paul Rhoads. Iowa State really struggled on offense but the defense was great and that is why the Cyclones are involved in Insight Bowl betting.
Insight Bowl betting indicates that Iowa State has been a great bet vs. the college football betting line against Big 10 teams. The Cyclones are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 vs. the Big Ten. The Cyclones are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
There is not much to like about Minnesota in Insight Bowl betting. The Golden Gophers are 3-7 vs. the college football betting line in their last 10 non-conference games. The Golden Gophers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite. The Golden Gophers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Bowl games as a favorite.
Looking at Insight Bowl betting total trends we see that the last five Iowa State games against the Big 10 have gone under the college football betting line. Four of the last five Minnesota bowl games have gone over and 7 of their last 10 overall have gone over.