The sports betting scandal that’s engrossed multiple athletic programs from Iowa and Iowa State has sent shockwaves through the college sports world. Tuesday saw reports emerge that last year’s starting quarterback for the Cyclones, Hunter Dekkers, bet on a 2021 Iowa State football game while he was on the team. Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register reported on Wednesday that Hawkeyes backup kicker Aaron Blom has been also accused of betting on a 2021 game between Iowa and Iowa State.
Blom’s bet? The under 45 total points in the routinely low-scoring battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. And while this is obviously a serious charge, that’s the type of humorous detail where the jokes simply write themselves.
Famously, this is a rivalry game that’s perhaps best known from a national perspective as a punishing low-scoring affair. The game has produced an average of 28 total points over the past four years, which has coincided with an egregious stretch of offenses put forth by Iowa.
With that context, the detail that an Iowa player bet the under in this game provided plenty of inspiration for the aspiring comedians on Twitter. Check out the best of the bunch below.
Oh, one more thing: the final score of that 2021 Iowa-Iowa State game? A 27–17 win for the Hawkeyes and, crucially, a successful under bet on a 45-point line.
This is less gambling and more risk-free investing. https://t.co/8yf68n3tde
— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) August 2, 2023
Lol
— Bud Elliott (@BudElliott3) August 2, 2023
An Iowa punter bet the under. What's the problem?
If he bet the over... https://t.co/bUU9Kpqd3k
Who among us hasn’t bet the Under for an Iowa vs. Iowa State game? https://t.co/OL6TYvOtWx pic.twitter.com/Ty9r5McZ7X
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) August 2, 2023
While I don't encourage college athletes to put their careers on the line by betting on sports, taking the Iowa-Iowa State under is the definition of "gambling responsibly" https://t.co/TgC6x2copT
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) August 2, 2023
Taking the iowa state under is just solid logic let that man play
— Dales Dad Twelve (@DalesDad12) August 1, 2023
The Iowa kicker betting the under is the single greatest piece of CFB content all summer. https://t.co/3kNBFDzZFl
— Robert Rosenthal (@ALionEye) August 2, 2023
I mean, to be fair, *everyone* bets the under on Iowa-Iowa State https://t.co/7yRA2oM4qT
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) August 2, 2023
Betting the Under in an Iowa game should not be considered "insider information" https://t.co/bwkKROYRct
— Simon Gibbs (@SimonGibbs26) August 2, 2023