Iowa vs Iowa State Prediction: One of the Biggest Cy-Hawk Games Ever?

Iowa vs Iowa State: How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
Game Time: 12:00 PM ET
TV: FOX
Location: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA
@PeteFiutak

Iowa Needs to Let Its Quarterback Cook

Again, Iowa didn’t do much for the passing game against UAlbany. Gronowski has the talent to be among the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten, but he dinked and dunked, the running game rolled, and now Iowa State will have to deal with a few deep shots.

There might have been a little rebuilding to do coming into the season, but the linebacking corps is once again a killer, the run defense is strong, and the pressure that wasn’t there against the Great Danes should show up.

Iowa had the ball for well over 36 minutes. It tuned up the blocking, but not much else, and now …

Iowa State’s Quarterback Continues to Be Fantastic

Rocco Becht held his own last year in the 20-19 Cyclone win, completing 23-of-35 for 272 yards and two scores. He hasn’t missed a beat to start the 2025 season.

He made enough big plays to get by Kansas State, and he didn’t make any big mistakes. If there was any tuning up to do with his new receivers, completing 19-of-20 passes for 278 yards and three scores against South Dakota did just that.

The Cyclones have the ability to beat the Hawkeyes at their own game. They aren’t making mistakes - just one penalty against Kansas State - and they held the ball for almost seven more minutes. So …

It’s the Cy-Hawk game. You Know What’s Coming

In 2017, Iowa beat Iowa State 44-41, but since then …

Iowa State 20-19. Iowa 20-13. Iowa State 10-7. Iowa 27-17. Iowa 18-17. Iowa 13-3. Both offenses might be talented, and there will be more of a passing game than normal, but the defenses will both rule the day.

The road game has won every game since 2018, and it’ll happen again in a low-scoring battle that comes down to a late kick. This is when Gronoswki steps up, leading a late drive for a thrilling win.

It’s Iowa vs Iowa State. It’ll be fantastic.

Iowa vs Iowa State Prediction, Betting Lines

Iowa 23, Iowa State 20
Line: Iowa State -3, o/u: 41.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Must See Rating: 4.5

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Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.