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Iowa State Iowa Predictions

Written September 10, 2008 by Jack Jones

An intense in-state rivalry takes place Saturday, September 13th, in Kinnick Stadium when the Iowa Hawkeyes play host to the Iowa State Cyclones and Jack Jones will have you covered from a college football odds perspective. The early spread on this game shows Iowa as a 14-point favorite over Iowa State at Bookmaker.

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Things have looked good for the Cyclones to start the season as they have posted big wins over South Dakota State and Kent State in back-to-back weeks. Iowa has also looked good in running up a 88-3 start against the likes of Maine and Florida International. Another home game here looks good for the Hawkeyes, as they are 34-7 in their last 41 at Kinnick Stadium. Despite being the perenial favorite in the series, Iowa has won just three times in the last 10 matchups, including a 15-13 loss in Ames last year.

Nobody has been able to stop the Cyclones offense as of yet. Against Kent State they posted 160 rushing yards with Phillip Bates leading the way with 83 yards on just eight attempts. Jason Scales chippped in 31 yards with two touchdowns to help boost the Cyclones average to 4.5 yards per carry and 194.5 rushing ypg after their first two wins. Depth is a key to the team’s success as they have three players averaging more than 4.0 ypc. Austen Arnaud leads the passing attack and was 12-for-15 for 166 yards and one touchdown last week. He now has completed almost 77% of his pass attempts on the year.

As good as the offense has been, the defense has been bad. Kent State racked up 410 total yards and the ground game was pounded for 243 yards on 43 rushes. The 211.5 ypg the Cyclones are giving up on the ground needs to shore up quickly. The team has been opportunistic though, with four takeaways last week. If you want to bet the +14 spread at Bookmaker you can get a 20% cash signup bonus on your initial deposit.

Iowa is off to a fast start with almost 485 ypg of total offense and their 88 total points. The yards have come with a balanced attack that has seen 243 ypg come on the ground and 241.5 ypg come through the air. Shonn Greene has gotten things started off right with 239 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Jewel Hampton has added two more scores and 122 yards. At quarterback Jake Christensen and Ricky Stanzi have shared time and each has performed remarkably well. Christensen thrown for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 63% passing, while Stanzi is completing 71% of his passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. It looks like Stanzi is going to be the man under center for the Hawks to start the game against Iowa State.

With all that scoring and offense, it’s easy to overlook how well the defense has played in giving up just a field goal in the first two contests. Iowa is limiting teams to 3.1 ypc and 96.5 rushing ypg, while allowing teams to throw for just 122.5 ypg. Getting pressure on the quarterback has been a key, with seven sacks and four interceptions for this defense. If you think betting on Iowa is the way to go this week, get the -13.5 point spread at BetUS along with up to 50% in signup bonuses.

Prediction: Iowa 31, Iowa State 17

For more college football picks to help you beat the spread, see what our experts are thinking. If you want to post your opinions on this game or any other this week, check out our sports betting forums.

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