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The Kansas State Wildcats take on the Iowa State Cyclones. Check out our college football odds series for our Kansas State Iowa State prediction and pick.
This game is a must-win for Iowa State. The Cyclones have dropped multiple Big 12 games, and it's only the start of October. Iowa State reached the Fiesta Bowl two years ago, the first time in school history the program made a top-tier bowl game. It has been hard for ISU to sustain that level of success, and now this 2022 team faces a supreme gut-check moment. Bowl eligibility is very much in question for Iowa State, given the games which lie ahead on the Big 12 schedule. This game against Kansas State is a challenge. Oklahoma is still left on the schedule. TCU is left. Oklahoma State is left. Texas is left. If Iowa State can't at least split its games in the Big 12 — and it finishes 2-7 in the conference — this team will miss a bowl game. While it's not likely it will happen, losing a third straight conference game with other tough tests remaining on the schedule will get that conversation started. It's a discussion ISU does not want to have, so the Cyclones need to beat Kansas State and put that particular plot point to bed.
Iowa State is coming off a brutal loss to Kansas — brutal not because Kansas is a team the Cyclones obviously should have beaten (the Jayhawks are actually good this year and no longer a pushover), but because ISU missed multiple field goals in a game it lost by just three points. Iowa State left points on the field in a close game, and that's hard to accept. Naturally, Iowa State has to seize opportunities and be a lot better in the red zone than it was against Kansas. Without fundamental improvements on offense and special teams, this group won't be able to salvage its season.
Kansas State is a frontline contender for the Big 12 title. The Wildcats suffered an inexplicable home-field loss to Tulane, but that loss was not a conference loss. The Wildcats are unbeaten in Big 12 games after beating Texas Tech and Oklahoma in consecutive weeks. Quarterback Adrian Martinez is making timely plays, benefiting from the quality coaching of Chris Klieman. The defense is not airtight, and it certainly needs to be better, but the offense which stumbled against Tulane has definitely made necessary corrections and adjustments. Maintaining that standard of play on offense is central to this team's successes and the attainment of its future goals, one of which is to play in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Kansas State-Iowa State College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Kansas State-Iowa State Odds
Kansas State Wildcats: -2 (-110)
Iowa State Cyclones: +2 (-110)
Over: 45.5 (-105)
Under: 45.5 (-115)
Why Kansas State Could Cover the Spread
Kansas State has fixed its offense. Iowa State has not. That's the short answer for why the Wildcats, in a game with a very small point spread, should be able to beat Iowa State by at least a field goal. Iowa State doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt in this game, given how much its offense has struggled in 2022 against good competition.
Why Iowa State Could Cover the Spread
The Cyclones will be more desperate than the Wildcats. They're playing at home. They badly need this game. KSU is due for a clunker after its recent wins. KSU lost to Tulane. There's another bad game left in the Wildcats this year.
Final Kansas State-Iowa State Prediction & Pick
Kansas State can score when it absolutely has to, and one can't say the same for a sputtering Iowa State offense which doesn't merit trust right now.
Final Kansas State-Iowa State Prediction & Pick: Kansas State -2
