Ad Disclosure
ESPN’s FPI projects winner of Iowa-Michigan State Week 8 contest
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
ESPN’s FPI has projected the winner of the Week 8 game between Iowa and Michigan State.
The Hawkeyes and Spartans meet at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing in different spots: the Hawkeyes blew out Washington 40-16 in Week 7 while the Spartans come in off the back end of a bye week but on a three-game losing streak.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, FPI has the Hawkeyes as a big favorite: they’re being given a 71.2 percent chance to win.
The Hawkeyes’ win on Saturday was historic for Kirk Ferentz: the longtime Iowa head coach won his 200th career game. Five more wins can tie him with Ohio State’s Woody Hayes for the most in Big Ten history. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes have made massive leaps offensively under first-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester, reaching the 40-point plateau for the second time this season while scoring 31 or more points for the fourth time. They scored 26 points or more just twice in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Spartans are finding their way under Jonathan Smith in his first year since leaving his head coaching post at Oregon State for the top job at Michigan State. They opened the season with a 3-0 record but have dropped 3 in a row to Boston College, Ohio State, and Oregon.
Kickoff from East Lansing is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.