Iowa vs. Northwestern prediction and more: Hlastradamus!

Hlastradamus doesn’t do a Lock of the Year. What’s a year when your track record covers centuries?

Nonetheless, the prophet (a wonderful, wonderful 23-15 against the spread this year) has a pick that he thinks is his most-secure of the year, his most-airtight selection of the season.

But the Lock of the Year? He doesn’t do those.

Anyway, that lock, er, most-secure prediction is …

Iowa -12 vs. Northwestern

Yeah, yeah, how can a team that has scored 7 points in both of its last two games cover a 12-point spread?

The answer is easy: Play Northwestern instead of Purdue and Wisconsin.

The prophet respects the Pat, as in Fitzgerald. His body of work as the Wildcats’ coach is tremendous. But his 2021 team has lost four Big Ten games by at least 17 points. It isn’t going to move the ball against the Hawkeyes. Iowa’s offense can fall into 13 more points than the ‘Cats.

Hlastradamus says Iowa by 20. Those people who like to say “Hawks by a million” will be as happy with a 20-0 win as the customers at Mustard’s Last Stand, next door to Ryan Field.

Texas +6.5 at Iowa State

OK, the soothsayer sees a third-straight Cyclones victory over the primary university from a state that continues to prove there is no such thing as Too Big to Fail.

However, it’s a nothing-comes-easily season for ISU. Texas has played three straight good teams in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor, and lost by 7, 8 and 7 points. The Horns nudge closer this week, just not close enough. Cyclones, 28-26.

In the meantime, Hlastradamus will continue to skip right past the Texas/Mexico border to vacation in San Miguel de Allende rather than South Padre Island.

One is known for architecture, art and culture. The other is South Padre Island.

Nebraska +15 vs. Ohio State

Insane, you say? No. The seer gets angry, but he isn’t mad.

The Huskers have lost six times this season, but never by more than one score. Yes, this is Ohio State. But the Huskers have played Oklahoma, Michigan State and Michigan as tough as January in Ogallala before being subdued.

This is the most-desperate moment in an era full of desperate moments in the Scott Frost era. The Huskers must throw everything they have at the Buckeyes, play their guts out, show they still have a pulse.

Hlastradamus is conveniently ignoring the minor detail that Ohio State beat the Huskers by 41 points two years ago and 35 points last year.

By the way, this is the fifth-straight year Nebraska is playing the Buckeyes, and they aren’t in the same division. The Huskers’ next coach may want to get that changed.

Purdue +3 vs. Michigan State

The road team has prevailed In Purdue’s last five games. So why take the Boilermakers at home against unbeaten Michigan State?

Because Hlastradamus says to do it, that’s why. Think, people, think!

The Spartans have been the best story in college football so far this year, emptying the NCAA’s transfer portal to come up with win after win after win. But story time is over.

We’ve entered November, when it’s all Alabama, Ohio State, blah blah, yadda yadda, dot-dot-dot, dee-dee-dee. A week after spending all sorts of physical and emotional energy against Michigan, MSU won’t have enough left in the tank to cover the 3 points at West Lafayette.

As Ohio State and Penn State still await the Spartans.

Although, Hlastradamus says if he had a Heisman vote he’d give it to Spartan freshman running back Kenneth Walker III were this Election Day. He knows someone who has such a ballot, and that’s the way that fellow is leaning.

Alabama -28.5 vs. LSU

That’s a humongous spread. But LSU is reeling, and Nick Saban will not pass up a chance to humiliate the Tigers.

Sometimes that’s what it boils down to in these point-spread deals. Who wants to really stick it to somebody? LSU is getting stuck in Tuscaloosa. Stuck bad.