Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview

One of the biggest games in college football on Saturday will take place in the state of Iowa as the Iowa State Cyclones host the Iowa Hawkeyes. This is a matchup of Top 25 teams, and both teams are looking for a huge resume-boosting win.

Iowa absolutely dominated the Indiana Hoosiers in Week 1, but that game was played on their home turf. The Hawkeyes are expected to be a Big Ten contender this season, but they will have to step up their play to win this game.

Iowa State struggled to beat a pesky Northern Iowa in the season opener, but there were still plenty of positives from that game. The Oklahoma Sooners have dominated the Big 12 Conference of late, but Iowa State has what it takes to compete in that conference this season.

The Iowa State Cyclones are 4.5-point favorites over the Iowa Hawkeyes in this rivalry game on Saturday afternoon.

Iowa Features Strong Defense

The Big Ten Conference is known for having strong defensive teams, but the Iowa Hawkeyes might be the best of the bunch. Iowa allowed just six points in the season opener, and Indiana is one of the top teams in the Big Ten.

Iowa is not a team that is going to overwhelm opponents with offense, but this team is good enough on that side of the ball. The Hawkeyes had 303 yards of total offense in the season opener, and it was a balanced attack.

Quarterback Spencer Petras did struggle with his accuracy, and he will need to play well to win this game.

Cyclones Can Move the Ball

The Iowa State Cyclones didn’t really get the offense going in Week 1, but don’t expect that to happen again on Saturday. Quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall give Iowa State two of the best players in the Big 12 Conference.

Iowa State racked up nearly 200 passing yards in the season opener, but Purdy wasn’t even at his best. The Cyclones are going to play faster on offense than the Hawkeyes, and they will look to wear down Iowa.

The Cyclones got some great work from the defense in Week 1, allowing just 45 total rushing yards. Iowa State will need to have a similar performance to slow down the Hawkeyes.

Cyclones Slip Past Hawkeyes

This should be one of the most competitive games of the day, and there doesn’t appear to be a ton of separation between the two teams. Both teams were sharp enough in Week 1, but each team is going to face a much tougher test in this matchup.

Iowa can really defend, but they are facing a Cyclones team that just has so many offensive weapons. It will be the offense of Iowa State that is the biggest difference in this matchup as Iowa just won’t be able to score enough points to keep up for four quarters.

Bet the Iowa State Cyclones -4.5 as they win this rivalry game by at least a touchdown on Saturday afternoon.

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