Iowa vs. Iowa State football picks, odds: Where experts see an edge

The 72nd edition of The Cy-Hawk Trophy game kicks off this weekend as Iowa and Iowa State meet in college football’s Week 2 action. Let’s take a look at the early predictions for the game from the oddsmakers.

Four of the last five in this series have been won by the road team, and the average margin of victory in those meetings was just 4.2 points for the winner, with the Cyclones winning two of the last three and the Hawkeyes the six straight before then.

Iowa relied on a powerful ground game that ran for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns to beat up on Albany in the season opener, while quarterback Mark Gronowski muddled through with just 44 passing yards.

Iowa State has shown considerably more offensive muscle in two games, scoring 79 points in wins over Kansas State and South Dakota, ranking 27th in scoring with nearly 49 points per game on average.

Where is the money going when looking ahead to the Hawkeyes and Cyclones in this matchup?

Let’s take a look at the early predictions for Iowa vs. Iowa State in this Week 2 college football rivalry game, according to the oddsmakers.

Iowa vs. Iowa State picks, odds

The bookies forecast a very close game this weekend with one of the closest point spreads of any in the country.

But the Cyclones are still favored over the Hawkeyes.

Iowa State is a 2.5 point favorite against Iowa, according to the updated game lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook.

FanDuel lists the total at 41.5 points for the matchup.

And it set the moneyline odds for Iowa State at -146 and for Iowa at +122 to win outright.

Iowa State: -2.5 (-120)
Iowa: +2.5 (-102)

Over 41.5 points: -105
Under 41.5 points: -115

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Iowa vs. Iowa State trends

The total went over in 10 of Iowa’s last 14 games ...

And it went over in 4 of Iowa State’s last 6 games ...

Iowa is 6-2-1 against the spread in its last 9 games played in Week 2 ...

Iowa State is 4-1 against the spread in its last 5 games ...

Iowa is 1-4 against the spread in its last 5 road games ...

Iowa State is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games played in Week 2 ...

Iowa is 4-1-1 against the spread in its last 6 on the road against the Cyclones ...

Iowa State is 5-2 against the spread in its last 7 games played on a Saturday ...

Iowa is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games ...

The total went under in 4 of Iowa’s last 5 road games against Iowa State ...

And it went over in 4 of Iowa State’s last 5 home games against Iowa ...

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Spread consensus picks

A majority of bets are siding with the Cyclones over the Hawkeyes in this rivalry meeting, according to the latest spread consensus picks for the game.

Iowa State is getting 68 percent of bets to win the game by at least a field goal and cover the narrow point spread.

The other 32 percent of wagers project the Hawkeyes will either upset the Cyclones outright or keep the final margin under 3 points in a loss.

The game’s implied score suggests a very close win for the Cyclones against their rival.

When taking the point spread and total into consideration, it’s implied that Iowa State will defeat Iowa by a projected score 22 to 20.

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Our early prediction

Iowa State was able to put up some impressive numbers against an FCS opponent, but had to eke out a win against a Kansas State side that looked better on the field.

Facing a far more disciplined Hawkeyes defense will be a tall order for the Cyclones’ offense, but their run game and Iowa’s still-unproven vertical game should prove to be decisive advantages for Matt Campbell’s team.

College Football HQ early game predictio: Iowa State -2.5

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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