Saturday night is the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy! Iowa (1-0) hosts Iowa State (1-0) in Kinnick Stadium for their annual rivalry game. For the first time in over a decade, there is a double digit spread in this matchup and it favors the seasoned Hawkeyes.
Iowa State rolls into this season in his first year under Jimmy Rogers. The Cyclones brought in over 80 newcomers, so this team is very new to the physicality and hatred in this rivalry. Iowa State beat Southeast Missouri State 38-10 in the season opener, outgaining the Redhawks 303-209 and forced three turnovers. Josh Raynor made his first start as Iowa State’s quarterback and he went 8-of-16 for 184 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus 42 rushing yards on seven carries and two more scores.
Iowa played three different quarterbacks in their dominant 40-0 win over Northern Illinois. The Hawkeyes combined for 218 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interceptions on 21-of-40 (52.5%). Kamari Moulton ran for a game-high 183 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Iowa outgained Northern Illinois 507-120 and held the Huskies to seven rushing yards on 31 carries.
Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.
Game Details and How to Watch Iowa State vs Iowa
- Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
- Time: 7:30 PM Eastern
- Site: Kinnick Stadium
- City: Iowa City, IA
- TV/Streaming: NBC | Peacock
Game Odds for Iowa State vs Iowa
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Iowa Hawkeyes (-650), Iowa State Cyclones (+470)
- Spread: Iowa -14 (-110)
- Total: 40.5 points
Iowa Hawkeyes
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz
2026 Record: 1-0 (0-0)
Offensive Points Per Game: 40 (21st)
Defensive Points Per Game: 0 (T-1st)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 42nd
The Iowa Hawkeyes Offense:
Iowa’s offense is the question mark of this team, primarily the quarterback position. Iowa scored 40 points on a variety of ways in Week 1. Kamari Moulton had two breakaway runs for touchdowns, two field goals, and two passing touchdowns in the red zone. Hank Brown led Iowa in passing with 129 yards and one touchdown on 12-of-20, while Jimmy Hecklinksi went 7-of-16 for 76 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Iowa Player to Watch on Offense: RB Kamari Moulton
Kamari Moulton was the player of the game for Iowa. The Hawkeyes running back ran wild totaling 183 rushing yards on 11 carries for two touchdowns. He scored from 50 yards out and 37 in the first half. The 183 yards is a career-high for Moulton, which was previously 114 set in 2024 versus Maryland. Moulton did not rush for 100 yards in any games last season. Moulton also missed the 2025 meeting versus Iowa State.
The Iowa Hawkeyes Defense:
Iowa’s rush defense was insane in the season opener. The Hawkeyes held Northern Illinois to seven rushing yards on 31 carries (0.2 ypc) and a long of six! The Hawkeyes forced a fumble, grabbed an interception, and returned a punt for a touchdown. Northern Illinois went 3-of-15 on third downs against Iowa and recorded 120 total yards. This Iowa defense looks like their usually top 25 self.
Iowa Player to Watch on Defense: LB Cam Buffington
Iowa’s defense was dominant in Week 1 and Cam Buffington led the way with six tackles and four of them being solo, and one tackle for loss. Buffington saw limited action last year (7 tackles, 1 INT), but is expected to take a major leap forward this season. Buffington will be held with the responsibility of keeping Jaylen Raynor one-dimensional limiting the damage with his legs.
Peacock offers one of the most comprehensive live sports streaming lineups available today, bringing together the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Premier League, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, golf, motorsports, and major global sporting events in a single service.
Iowa State Cyclones
Head Coach: Jimmy Rogers
2026 Record: 1-0 (0-0)
Offensive Points Per Game: 38 (NR)
Defensive Points Per Game: 10 (NR)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 55th
The Iowa State Cyclones Offense:
Iowa State managed 303 total yards against FCS Southeast Missouri State, which was far less than what the Cyclones did against FCS South Dakota last season (529). Iowa State edged out Southeast Missouri State, 15-14 in the opener, won the turnover battle 3-1, and scored four of their five touchdowns in the red zone.
Iowa State Player to Watch on Offense: QB Jaylen Raynor
The most important player in the Cyclones offense is quarterback Jaylen Raynor. The senior slinger is a former starter for the Arkansas State Red Wolves where he had 26 combined touchdowns last year. To start this season, Raynor tossed two touchdowns and ran for two more, tying a career-high four touchdowns. Raynor has been inaccurate for stretches in his career and started 8-of-16 against Southeast Missouri State. Iowa will be sending blitzes, setting spies, and putting constant pressure on Raynor to push him into making mistakes. Raynor has 21 combined interceptions over the last two seasons.
The Iowa State Cyclones Defense:
Iowa State held Southeast Missouri State to 209 total yards, including 67 rushing yards on 45 attempts (1.5 ypc). The Cyclones forced three turnovers in addition to shutting down the run, Iowa State allowed a 5-of-16 mark on third downs to the Red Hawks. Iowa State forced a three-and-out in three of the first four drives and six out of eight drives in the first half went for four or fewer plays.
Iowa State Player to Watch on Defense: DE Isaac Terrell
Isaac Terrell had one heck of a start to his season. Terrell racked up three sacks and a forced fumble in his first game with the Cyclones. Terrell spent the past two seasons with Washington State where he totaled 28 tackles, seven sacks, and one forced fumble as a starter in 2025. Well, through one game with Iowa State, Terrell is almost half-way to his sack mark from last season. Iowa will have an elite offensive line, so if Terrell can sneak a sack or a few tackles for a loss in here, he can raise his draft stock or All-Conference consideration.
Iowa and Iowa State State Team Stats, Betting Trends
- Iowa is 1-0 ATS and 1-0 to the Under
- Iowa State is 0-1 ATS and 1-0 to the Under
- Iowa is 12-7-1 ATS in their last 20 games as a favorite
- Iowa is 12-11-2 ATS in their last 25 games as a home favorite
- Iowa has won 6 of the last 10 meetings vs Iowa State
- The Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings
- The Under is 7-2-1 in the past 10 meetings
- Neither team has covered back-to-back years since Iowa did so in 2015 and 2016. Iowa covered last year (2025) at +3.5 (16-13).
Rotoworld Best Bets
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans Iowa -14:
“When looking at the series, this spread makes no sense. Iowa hasn’t won at home versus Iowa State since 2018, the winner of the game has been decided by 10 points or less every time since 2017, and five of the last six winners have scored 20 points or less. That would all point toward Iowa State and the Under, but I think this spread is this big for a reason. Iowa State has over 80 newcomers on its roster and struggled offensively in Week 1.
I don’t think this Iowa State group comes in respecting this game nearly as much as an experienced Hawkeyes team that has an overly due home win in this rivalry. I like Iowa here and it could end up on the Hawkeyes as an official play, but probably buy it back to -13.5 just in case. I see something like Iowa 27, Iowa State 10 or Iowa 30, Iowa State 14.”
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
