Updated Iowa vs. Tennessee odds: Citrus Bowl point spread

The Tennessee Volunteers and Iowa Hawkeyes are getting ready to take on one another in the Citrus Bowl. Ahead of that game, the points spread for the game has been updated.

Tennessee is entering the Citrus Bowl as a five-point favorite over Iowa. The over/under point total is also set at just 35.5 points, according to DraftKings.

How to watch Tennessee vs. Iowa

Time: 1 p.m. ET, Jan. 1
Channel: ESPN, FuboTV
Location: Orlando, FL

If styles make fights, then the Citrus Bowl is going to be a battle because there aren’t two teams that generally take a more different approach to the game of football. Tennessee is known for its explosive, fast, and high-flying offense while Iowa takes a defense forward and old school approach to the game.

Iowa lost the Big Ten Championship Game against Michigan to cap off a season that was overshadowed by offensive woes and consistently hitting the under point total as the Hawkeyes’ defense was elite amid the offense’s struggles. Tennessee, meanwhile, took a slight step back after bursting back onto the season in 2022 and is now looking for the future.

Volunteers quarterback Joe Milton has opted out of the Citrus Bowl. In his place, Nico Iamaleava will get the start for Tennessee. He was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023 and is widely seen as the future of the position in Knoxville. However, it won’t be an easy first start against an elite Iowa defense led by defensive coordinator Phil Parker. This season, the Hawkeyes only allowed 13.2 points per game.

Beyond Milton, Tennessee has 11 players in the transfer portal. That includes six players who have already committed to transfer to Power Five programs. Beyond Milton, Jabari Small, Kamal Hadden, and Jaylen Wright have all declared for the NFL Draft.

Meanwhile, Iowa has lost six players to the transfer portal. Among those players are two quarterbacks, including Spencer Petras. Add in Cade McNamara‘s injury, and depth is a major concern at quarterback for Iowa. Cooper DeJean, one of the top corners and returners in the NFL Draft is out with an injury as well.

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The Citrus Bowl is a classic case of the immovable force meeting an unstoppable object. Within that game, there will be interesting snippets of what the future looks like for both teams as they look to adjust to how their respective conferences will be structured amid realignment.