Eastern Illinois just got obliterated 91-57 at Indiana in their opener and returns only four players from last season, with the rest of their roster filled with NAIA and Division II transfers. Iowa is at home in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, battle-tested and rolling in the Big Ten. Talent wins, and the gap between these programs is massive — Iowa covers -35.5 with room to spare.

Everyone's writing off these Panthers before tip-off, but EIU returns a scrappy core led by Markus Blackwell and Andrew Austin, plus a roster full of hungry newcomers under veteran coach Marty Simmons — nobody's giving them a chance and that's exactly how upsets get cooked. Getting 35.5 points against Iowa is a mountain to climb, but no injury concerns surfaced for EIU, and even a mid-major squad that went 13-20 last year has enough pride not to get blown out by 36 in their opening weeks. The Panthers are being disrespected at a historic level — bet on them to keep it within the number.