The battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy between No. 19 Iowa and Iowa State will take place in week three of college football. Who will take home the hardware?
Iowa and Iowa State come into their 67th match up with the Hawkeyes holding a considerable advantage in the series. The Hawkeyes lead the series 44-22 and currently have a five-game win streak in progress.
In last’s year’s edition of the rivalry, Iowa won by a score of 13-3 in a defensively heavy battle that only saw both teams put up 459 combined yards of offense in the game.
As for this year’s contest, Iowa once again has the leg up in the matchup, at least in the polls. The Hawkeyes will come into the game ranked No. 19 in the country after dominant wins over Miami OH and Rutgers that has seen them only give up 14 total points through two games.
Iowa State had a bye in week 2 but took two overtimes to defeat FCS opponent Northern Iowa in week 1. The final score ending up being 29-26, and with the Cyclones struggling to move the ball at times against an inferior defense, who knows what’s in store going up against a talented Iowa defense.
The Cyclones defense is undoubtedly their strength though. This game will be won or lost on the Iowa defense containing Brock Purdy and the Iowa State defense containing Iowa senior quarterback Nick Stanley. Stanley threw for 216 yards and two touchdowns last week against Rutgers.
How to watch and bet on Iowa vs. Iowa State
- Date: Saturday, Sept.14
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Ames, Iowa
- Stadium: Jack Trice Stadium
- TV Channel: FS1
- Odds: Iowa -1.5 (Bovada)
- Over/Under: 43.0 (Bovada)
- Live Stream: fubo.tv
Prediction: Expect another low-scoring contest in a rivalry that has been rather lopsided of late. But this is an Iowa State program that has continued to get better each year under head coach Matt Campbell, as they were ranked to start the season. They have since dropped out, but this Iowa State is no joke on the defensive side of the ball.
The problem is that Iowa’s is just as good if not better and they have much more experience on offense. Purdy is great, but Iowa State didn’t establish a running game in week 1 and it will be tough to get it going this week against a better team. Look for Stanley to connect with his favorite receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette throughout the game. With a more balanced offense, I’ll take the Hawkeyes to come out on top in this one. Give me Iowa to cover the spread and the under.
Score: Iowa 17, Iowa State 10