Iowa State vs. Iowa betting preview: Odds, picks, predictions, kickoff time for Week 2 college football — SkimNews
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- Iowa State has won three of the last four Cy-Hawk meetings, and Iowa's 2023 victory was officially vacated by the NCAA, deepening the Hawkeyes' recent skid in the series.
- The Cyclones debut under first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers — hired from Washington State after a 6-6 2025 — with an almost entirely new roster after Matt Campbell took most of last year's group to Penn State.
- Iowa State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, an Arkansas State transfer, threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more in a 38-10 Week 1 win over Southeast Missouri State.
- Iowa running back Kamari Moulton rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries in a 40-0 Week 1 win over Northern Illinois after sitting out last year's Cy-Hawk matchup.
- Washington State transfer Isaac Terrell, who followed Rogers to Ames, logged three sacks in the opener after recording seven sacks for the Cougars in 2025.
- Iowa's quarterback competition between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski remains unsettled after both saw Week 1 action, with Brown looking the more polished of the two.
- The pick is Under 41.5 points — the last four Cy-Hawk games all finished below that total, eight straight stayed under 45, and CBS Research pegs the Under at 18-3 across the last 21 meetings, even though the SportsLine model shows the Over hitting in 58.5% of simulations.
Why it matters: Cy-Hawk bettors face a split signal: the SportsLine projection model favors Over 41.5 (58.5% of simulations), while every measurable historical trend points the other way — the Under is 18-3 over the last 21 meetings, per CBS Research. With Iowa's starting quarterback still undecided and Iowa State fielding a roster full of new faces under a first-year coach, this rivalry's recent low-scoring pattern has fresh reasons to hold.
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