Your Picks on Iowa St. vs Iowa

Two unbeaten teams meet at Kinnick

The Iowa State Cyclones visit the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, September 12, in the 2026 college football season. Both teams enter 1-0 after decisive opening victories.

Iowa beat Northern Illinois 40-0, gaining 507 total yards and 298 rushing yards. Kamari Moulton supplied 183 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. The Hawkeyes allowed 120 total yards and seven first downs despite fielding seven first-time defensive starters.

Iowa also divided its quarterback work evenly: Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski each received five offensive drives. That opening performance documents production, but one game does not establish how the offense will fare against Iowa State.

Cyclones bring production and series success

Iowa State began Jimmy Rogers’ tenure with a 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri. Jaylen Raynor threw for 184 yards and contributed two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in his first Cyclones start.

The Cyclones collected six sacks and three takeaways. Isaac Terrell recorded three of those sacks and forced a fumble. Iowa State has also won the last two rivalry meetings and three of the last four, including its last two visits to Iowa City. Those results provide context, but do not establish a margin for this matchup.

Betting decision: Pass

Iowa is priced at -600 on the moneyline, with Iowa State at +453. The spreads are Iowa -14 (-110) and Iowa State +14 (-110). Over and under 41 are each listed at -110.

The opening results and series history do not establish an advantage at those prices or a reliable scoring projection. Iowa’s favorite status alone does not demonstrate betting value. Pass on the game, with no winner selection or projected score and low confidence in a predictive call.