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ESPN’s FPI predicts outcome of Friday night’s Iowa-Maryland battle of unbeaten teams
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College football fans and the B1G will get an early treat to Week 5 of the 2021 season as the battle of undefeated teams between No. 5 Iowa and Maryland will face off in College Park, Maryland this Friday night.
This game between Iowa and Maryland will be the only battle of undefeated teams in the B1G. Iowa comes into this game with the traditional power-run and traditional passing game, while Maryland looks to use an explosive offense. Iowa will have its reliable defense that ranks second in the nation in efficiency according to ESPN’s rankings.
The Hawkeyes have two solid wins vs. ranked opponents this season. Maryland has yet to face a ranked opponent until this Friday.
According to ESPN’s FPI, Iowa has a 56.8% projection to defeat the Terrapins on Friday night. ESPN’s FPI has more faith in the overall efficiency of the Hawkeyes’ defense than the explosive ability of the Terrapins’ offense.
However, it should be noted that Maryland has improved its odds to win this game since the start of the season. Coming into the season, the FPI was giving Iowa a 64% chance of winning the game.
After an undefeated start for both teams, this should be one of the better games of the week. Friday’s kickoff is set for 8 pm EST on FS1.