Northwestern QB Aidan Chiles Still Questionable as No. 19 Iowa Comes to Town

Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles is listed as questionable for the second time this week as the Wildcats get ready for No. 19 Iowa. Roundtable Sports reported that Chiles stayed on the team's second injury report. That leaves a big question open two days before a home game between two 6-2 Big Ten teams.

Chiles finished last Saturday's 34-26 loss at Oregon. He threw for 281 yards and a touchdown and ran for 93 yards and another score, which adds up to 374 yards of total offense. Roundtable Sports noted that Northwestern has listed players as questionable earlier this season who then played, so the tag alone doesn't mean he will sit. But the staff is clearly keeping an eye on something.

Few players matter more to the Wildcats. Through eight games, Chiles has completed 68.8% of his passes for 1,898 yards, with 13 touchdowns and one interception. He has also run for 10 touchdowns. If he can't go, Roundtable Sports expects West Virginia transfer Nicco Marchiol to start. Marchiol has seen little game action for Northwestern this season, and the coaching staff would have to decide how much of the usual plan to keep with a different quarterback.

What it means for Saturday

This would be a hard week for any backup to make a first extended appearance. The Hawkeyes have given up 100 points in eight games, or 12.5 per game. They have three shutouts, the latest a 30-0 win over then-No. 25 Wisconsin last week. Their losses came against No. 5 Ohio State, 31-14, and at Minnesota, 13-10. They also won a one-point game at No. 18 Michigan.

Northwestern has scored 33.6 points per game, the most in this matchup, and it has relied on Chiles to get there. A four-game winning streak, including a 34-13 win over Penn State and a 42-14 win over Rutgers, ended in Eugene. The Wildcats' other loss came by six points at No. 5 Indiana, so they have stayed close against strong opponents. Iowa's offense has swung from week to week. The Hawkeyes put up 55 on Northern Iowa and 41 at Washington, but they scored 10 at Minnesota and 14 against Ohio State.

The board for Iowa at Northwestern has prices from 12 venues, and the home team is favored narrowly. On Novig, one of those venues, Northwestern is -125 on the moneyline and Iowa is +120. The spread has Northwestern favored by 2.5 points at -104, with Iowa +2.5 at -102. Novig's total is 45.5, with the over at +102 and the under at -108. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.0% to 6.3% on the moneyline and from 3.4% to 6.8% on the spread, so prices vary noticeably from one venue to the next.

That number assumes Northwestern's quarterback situation is still uncertain. Iowa's defense has given up more than 24 points only once, and if Chiles is cleared, the Wildcats keep their best way to move the ball against it. If Marchiol starts, Northwestern would be trying to keep its offense moving against one of the league's toughest defenses without the player who has accounted for 23 of its touchdowns. Northwestern could still update Chiles' status before the Fox broadcast.