Iowa football vs. UMass: Who wins? Final score predictions

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It's been a long week for the Iowa football program, filled with uncertainty, lots of uncomfortable questions, and a fed-up fanbase.

The cause of all that frustration was yet another loss to Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk game, the third time in four years that the Hawkeyes have failed to beat their in-state rival. But beyond the loss in the points column, it felt like an even bigger loss for the program.

Once again, Iowa's passing offense was non-existent, throwing for less than 100 yards for the second week in a row. It's inexcusable for the passing game to be this bad year after year, and somehow, it is. The frustration with the offense in Iowa's 16-13 loss to the Cyclones last weekend has led to a lot of questions about the program this week. While a win over UMASS would hardly quell many of those concerns, it would at least be a step in the right direction.

The Minutemen are 0-2 this season, with a blowout loss to Temple and a one-point loss to FCS Bryant on their resume. They have all sorts of injuries on offense, with their starting quarterback and two wide receivers already being ruled out for this game. And their defense has been atrocious this season. On paper, Iowa should dominate. But how does Hawkeyes Wire see this game playing out?

Zach Hiney: As mentioned above, on paper, Iowa should absolutely dominate this game. UMASS is just not a very good football team right now. The Hawkeyes are at home, and they're probably not in a great mood after last weekend. The Hawkeyes should control the trenches and do whatever they want in the running game. But fans don't care about that at all.

A win against UMASS isn't good enough. Iowa needs to show a pulse in the passing game for fans to feel any sort of confidence in that unit heading into Big Ten play. UMASS' defense is absolutely terrible. They've bled passing yards this season, allowing 594 yards through the air in just two games, including allowing over 300 passing yards to an FCS school. If there was ever a game for Iowa to air it out and let it rip through the air, it would be this one.

That being said, I have no confidence in Kirk Ferentz's willingness to do that. Iowa may take a shot or two, but they'll probably try to salt this game away on the ground and be successful in doing that. Expect another conservative game plan on Saturday. The Hawkeyes win, but raise even more concerns about the passing game in the process.

Iowa 35, UMASS 7.

Riley Donald: Iowa 34, UMASS 6. Like the UAlbany game, Iowa knows it can run the ball against UMass' front, and they will do so in this one. The defense should overwhelm UMASS's lack of explosive talent, making for a very long day. Iowa hits the cruise control button in the second half of a game that becomes rather forgettable in the grand scheme of the season, to enter Big Ten play healthy.

Scout Springgate: Iowa 37, UMASS 3. Iowa will start the game a bit sluggish as Tim Lester continues to teeter with the offense, but will eventually find a groove as the game progresses.

Defensively, the Hawkeyes should vastly overwhelm the Minutemen's offensive attack, especially with injuries limiting their already lackluster firepower.

Given the lopsided score, Iowa will use the latter portion of the game to strengthen its depth before opening its Big Ten slate at Rutgers on Friday.