Week 2 of the 2026 college football season is headlined in part by a showdown between Iowa State Cyclones and Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night.
This is be an in-state rivalry game when Iowa hosts Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City and both teams head into this showdown with 1-0 records following routine wins over much weaker opponents.
With Saturday's game set for 7:30 pm ET on NBC, it’s time to break down the odds and discuss the best bets to make.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Iowa Hawkeyes betting picks and predictions
Iowa Hawkeyes -13.5 (-120)
Iowa State faced Southeast Missouri State last weekend, winning 38-10. Quarterback Jaylen Raynor is an Arkansas State transfer, so this will be a rare foray for him into Power 4 competition.
The senior did not exactly light it up last week, going only 8-of-16 for 184 yards and two touchdowns and in four appearances against Power 4 programs during his career, Raynor has one touchdown pass and six interceptions.
Iowa certainly has the personnel and the scheme to force Raynor into multiple turnover-worthy plays on Saturday.
Even the best and most experienced quarterbacks may have a hard time producing against this Iowa defense.
The Hawkeyes perennially boast a stout defense and early returns this year - albeit against a subpar opponent - suggest that this year will be no different.
They recorded six sacks, seven tackles for loss and an interception while limiting Northern Illinois to just 120 total yards en route to a 40-0 victory.
On the other side of the ball, Iowa's rushing offense already looks like a well-oiled machine. Running back Kamari Moulton can control the clock with sustained drives, while also hitting a proverbial home run at a moment's notice with his explosive-play ability.
Moulton parlayed just 11 carries into 183 yards and two touchdowns in last week's romp over Northern Illinois.
Over 41.5 (-110)
These are not the Hawkeyes of old. They can actually score points and play legitimately exciting football games.
They produced at least 20 points in all but three games last season and finished the year by putting up 40 on Nebraska and 34 in a ReliaQuest Bowl victory over Vanderbilt.
Iowa had already scored all 40 of its points against Northern Illinois last Saturday when there were still more than two minutes left in the third quarter.
Hank Brown has taken over under center from Mark Gronowski. Brown may not have as much experience as Gronowski did, but otherwise it might be an upgrade.
After all, Gronowski threw just 10 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions last year.
Brown has paid his dues after being a backup at Auburn for two seasons and at Iowa for one. He was unspectacular but efficient at running the offense last week, completing 12 of 20 passes for 129 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers.
When you can hand the ball off to Moulton, you can afford to simply play mistake-free football and not try to do anything special.
Dating back to last season, five of Iowa's last eight games have produced at least 44 points, while seven of Iowa State's last nine contests have finished with 41 points or more.
All things considered, the over looks like the way to go.
Jaylen Raynor over 0.5 passing touchdowns (-115)
Iowa's defense was particularly strong against the run, which means Iowa State may have to hit the airwaves to a greater extent than it would be inclined to do so against most opponents.
That's not exactly what the Cyclones want to do, but they are capable of doing it when necessary.
Raynor was solid last week, finding the endzone twice at SEMO's expense.
With Arkansas State in 2025, the Winston-Salem native tossed three touchdowns in each of his final two games and threw multiple TD passes in four of his last five outings.
Read more college football picks and predictions on site.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Iowa Hawkeyes odds
Iowa State Cyclones | +450 |
Iowa Hawkeyes | -600 |
Spread | Iowa -13.5 |
Total Points | O/U 41.5 |
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Iowa Hawkeyes player props
Anytime touchdown
Kamari Moulton (Iowa) | -260 |
DJ Vonnahme (Iowa) | -115 |
Tony Diaz (Iowa) | +105 |
Jaylon Raynor (Iowa State) | +135 |
Xavier Williams (Iowa) | +195 |
Reece Vander Zee (Iowa) | +245 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
