(Bill Simmons voice) Is Iowa State having a moment?
Last week sure felt like it. The anticipation of the 2025 CyHawk game was palpable from the moment the South Dakota game ended. We knew Big Noon Kickoff would be there. Ames was getting another moment in the national spotlight, and a prime broadcast window to capture a big rating. For the first time, it felt like Iowa State was the focus of the pregame show. Barstool Sports was also in town, making fun of Iowa, in front of Jack Trice Stadium. Our NBA superstar, Tyrese Haliburton, was in town and on FOX wearing Cyclone gear, talking about Iowa State. TJ Otzelberger and Tamin Lipsey made a cameo on the show. That’s a far cry from a country singer with no interest in a football game being trotted out for 15 minutes and picking the road team to win.
The stage was set, and Iowa State needed to deliver. They were favored to win the game, and in retrospect, they were the better football team. The weather was perfect. The game itself was classic CyHawk. It was dominated by defenses. The under hit easily. And in the end, the legend of Kyle Konrardy grew. Rocco Becht is making people have uncomfortable conversations about his place in Iowa State history. On Sunday, the new AP Poll came out, and Iowa State was ranked in the top 15. Breece Hall ran for 100 yards for the Jets. Brock Purdy led the 49ers to a game winning drive. Postgame conversation was centered on if Iowa State has overtaken Iowa as a football program (for the record, I don’t think we are there yet, but we are undoubtedly cooler than Iowa and the gap is as small as it’s been in a long time). Iowa State is one of the favorites to win the Big 12 now. Things are looking up in Ames for sure. It truly was as good a week as it could have been.
As for gambling, we had our first winning week of the season. These non-conference weeks are so hard, because there are just so many games to pick, and so little evidence to work off. It feels good to get off to a nice start. Maybe I need to make these picks personally and nothing else, because Ole Miss blowing a cover in the final seconds and the Ravens blowing Sunday Night Football sure put a damper on my personal weekend. Nevertheless, we are off to Week 3!
THE GAMES
Colorado (1-1, 0-0) at Houston (2-0, 0-0)
Kickoff: Friday 6:30pm | TV: ESPN | The Line: Houston -4.5 | O/U: 44.5
Tough one to start the week. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what to do with this one. Deion is being really coy about his QB situation. I suspect he’ll start the 3rd stringer, and if he’s going to do that, he must be confident in his offense. Houston has scored 27 and 35 points in the first two games. It’s a low total. Let’s grab a Friday night over.
Pick:Over 44.5
Kansas State (1-2, 0-1) at Arizona (2-0, 0-0)
Kickoff: Friday 8:00pm | TV: FOX | The Line: Kansas State -1.5 | O/U: 54.5
This is the last chance for K-State. By the way, this game will not count toward the Big 12 standings. I’ll also say something nice. Avery Johnson has been throwing the ball well. His receivers can’t catch anything. But this is the kitchen sink game.
Pick:Kansas State -1.5
Oregon State (0-2) at #23 Texas Tech (2-0)
Kickoff: Saturday 2:30pm | TV: FOX | The Line: Texas Tech -23.5 | O/U: 61.5
Yawn, wake me up next week when Tech starts their season for real.
Pick: Texas Tech -23.5
Pittsburgh (2-0) at West Virginia (1-1)
Kickoff: Saturday 2:30pm | TV: ESPN | The Line: Pittsburgh -7 | O/U: 57.5
West Virginia took the predictable loss at Ohio last week (I tried to tell them not to go there!). That was a look ahead/this team might not be very good game. Now, they are extremely injured and going into a rivalry game? I don’t see them scoring too much here.
Pick: Under 57.5
#14 Iowa State (3-0) at Arkansas State (1-1)
Kickoff: Saturday 3:00pm | TV: ESPN2 | The Line: Iowa State -20.5 | O/U: 55.5
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that Iowa State is in danger of losing this game. This is a business trip for the Cyclones. They are going to Jonesboro to run the ball, grind out the clock, and make their way into a much deserved bye week. This is also a week to test some stuff out, and really make sure the offensive line builds up some confidence.
Pick: Under 55.5
#20 Utah (2-0) at Wyoming (2-0)
Kickoff: Saturday 7:00pm | TV: CBSSN | The Line: Utah -23.5 | O/U: 48.5
I’m a believer in Utah. I’m not scared by the weird road trip. The offensive line and running game will travel anywhere.
Pick: Utah -23.5
Texas State (2-0) at Arizona State (1-1)
Kickoff: Saturday 9:30pm | TV: TNT | The Line: Arizona State -15.5 | O/U: 60.5
To put it mildly, a lot went wrong for Arizona State last week. The offense is going to be much better at home, and against a worse defense. This has shootout written all over it.
Pick: Over 60.5
BEST BET AROUND THE COUNTRY
Tulane +1.5 vs Duke
Tulane is pretty good and this is a “revenge” spot for them. Their QB from last year, Darian Mensah, transferred to Duke for a huge NIL payment in the offseason. He’s good, don’t get that wrong. But the Green Wave kept a lot of talent from last year, and no doubt they want to beat the guy who left.
Enjoy the games!
Season Record: 12-9 (+2.1 units)
