Early odds and predictions for Kentucky vs. Iowa in the Citrus Bowl

The Citrus Bowl is still a few weeks away as the Kentucky Wildcats and Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Orlando for a New Year’s Day matchup, but early betting odds are trending toward the Wildcats.

Right now, Kentucky is a 3-point favorite to come out on top in the game via DraftKings with the over/under set at 44. However, this will probably be a line that fluctuates as the game draws closer.

One storyline to watch that could play a key role in terms of odds? Iowa leading rusher Tyler Goodson is opting out of the bowl game.

Goodson, who rushed for over 1,000 yards and 6 touchdowns on the season, will forego the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Goodson drove the offense, so the Hawkeyes could be forced to rely on QB Spencer Petras, who has thrown 9 touchdowns and 6 interceptions this season, along with 1,669 passing yards and a 56.6 completion percentage.

For an offense that really struggled at times, losing Goodson for the bowl game certainly hurts the Hawkeyes.

Some predictions are already coming in for the game as well. Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey has Kentucky-Iowa as one of his most exciting matchups of the bowl season with a prediction of a 27-24 Kentucky win.

TeamRankings is projecting a 24-21 win for the Wildcats.

Over at College Football News, a panel predicts Iowa to win, although a few panelists went against the majority and picked the Cats.

At Athlon Sports, Kentucky vs. Iowa is ranked as the 10th-best bowl game with the early pick going toward the Wildcats.

This bowl kicks off at 1 pm ET on Jan 1st, 2022. It takes place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. ABC will have TV coverage. You can read more about the bowl at its official website. You can read more about Camping World Stadium here.