2016 Rose Bowl Iowa Hawkeyes and Stanford Cardinal: Rule of Tree Staff Predictions

nerdnation23: Stanford has scored 30 or more in every game except for the Northwestern game this season. Stanford has never scored 30 points or more in their 14 appearances in the Rose Bowl with 27 being the most. This is the best offensive team Hogan has had in his three appearances and I think Stanford will be able to get four touchdowns and a field goal to win this game 31 to 20 and send Hogan off into the sunset.

Sean Levy: Both teams are going to want to come out and run the football. Whoever can win the battle in the trenches and wins the time of possession will most likely win this game. This game will be incredibly close and it makes it hard to chose who will come out on top. I predict Iowa will come out prepared against Stanford's defense, but on the last play of the game Hogan to McCaffrey will put the Cardinal up 24-21 with no time remaining.

TonyFernandesSports: This will be, in the immortal words of WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross, an absolute "slobber knocker". Both teams like to control the clock with a smash mouth style. The biggest difference is that Stanford has been playing against high flying pass attacks recently, and will be chomping at the bit to take on an offense like Iowa. The Hawkeyes have a big, strong, and disciplined offensive line; but they had issues in the Big 10 championship game in protecting their QB. The Cardinal have a much better pass attack than the Hawkeyes can cover and I feel that Stanford's offense will wear down the Hawkeyes much like the Spartans did in the Big 10 title game. I strongly feel that this matchup better suits the Cardinal, and have two predictions: Kevin Hogan throws for 270 yards and 2 TDs in his final game under center; and the Cardinal win 38-24.

Matt Vassar: Stanford 31, Iowa 24. Stanford's offense is explosive, but Iowa's defense is stingy. Desmond King (currently #2 in the country for interceptions) will provide tight coverage in the secondary, while Iowa's linebackers will maintain continual pressure on Kevin Hogan, holding Stanford to a relatively low 31 points for this game. Thankfully, Iowa's offense--while good--isn't great, and should be enough for Stanford's young defense to contain. Put together, I see Kevin Hogan completing his final season right where he started his first season: with a Rose Bowl victory.