Iowa State vs. Iowa: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Week 2 of the 2024 College Football season serves up an in-state rivalry battle as the Iowa State Cyclones face off against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa is coming off a 40-0 win over Illinois State, and Iowa State beat North Dakota 21-3 in Week 1.

This week's clash looks like it could be another classic clash for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, so let's get into our picks and predictions for the latest installment in this rivalry.

Iowa State vs. Iowa betting picks and predictions

Iowa State +3.0 (-105)

The Cy-Hawk rivalry game is typically a defensive struggle between a pair of well-coached teams. That is unlikely to change on Saturday, despite what some of the numbers in the box score from Week 1 might have indicated about Iowa's potential offensive improvement. 

Upon digging into Iowa's Week 1 game against Illinois State, there's a lot of noise about that 40-point offensive outburst given that the Hawkeyes were much fresher than a Redbirds defense that was clearly worn down in the second half. This followed a first half in which Illinois State surrendered just 6 points to Iowa and generally held down an offense that looked like the same old Iowa from previous seasons. 

On the Iowa State side, head coach Matt Campbell's team played things very close to the vest a week ago. Quarterback Rocco Becht and the rest of this Cyclones offense seemed to be going through the motions in a win over a solid FCS opponent in North Dakota. 

However, this weekend's game is the type of situation where backing Campbell has been profitable, as he's excellent as an underdog of three points or more with a record of 31-16 against the spread, including recent success in Kinnick Stadium as an underdog back in the 2022 installment of this rivalry. 

At the end of the day, targeting the underdog is the way to look in this matchup, as laying points in this rivalry has not been the way to proceed over the last couple of meetings. In a game where oddsmakers are expecting that points will come at a premium, taking the better offense and quarterback with Iowa State is the recommended way to play this game. 

There's always the possibility that Iowa covers this game thanks to some sort of wacky turnover at some point in the contest. However, backing the Cyclones at a field goal or better is our best bet for Saturday's game in Iowa City.

Under 35.5 total points (-110)

This total has ticked up a bit from where it opened and while there are valid reasons behind the line move, it has not been historically profitable to take an Over in this rival or games involving Iowa football in general. 

Over the past couple of seasons, games involving Iowa are a whopping 19-7 to the Under, including the most recent meeting in Iowa City between these teams where the Cyclones won an ugly 10-7 game that featured just 32 combined first downs, 12 punts, combined 456 total yards and three turnovers from each side. 

Based on past history and how these meetings usually go, this is the type of game where possessions are going to be limited, as both offenses should look to win the field possession battle and worry about controlling the clock and tempo of the game. Don't expect either coach to think about taking risks on third and fourth down in the hopes of generating explosive plays and racking up points, which bodes well for the Undernder.  

This could very well become a situation where the team that grabs the lead heading into halftime ends up sitting on the ball for large chunks of the second half and focuses more on playing keep away, relying on their defense and limiting chances for their opponent rather than building the lead. 

There are still major questions surrounding the effectiveness of this Iowa offense and both teams do boast stout defenses that should make an impact in this game. Therefore, Under 35.5 total points is our game total prediction for the 71st meeting in this historical rivalry. 

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Football on site.

Iowa State vs. Iowa odds

Iowa State	+135 ML
Iowa	-160 ML
Spread	Iowa -3.0
Total Points	O/U 35.5

Read Iowa State vs. Iowa: How to watch, TV Channel, streaming start time, injury report and stats on site.

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.