West Virginia and Iowa State are both good, but neither one is strong enough this season to start 0-2 and reasonably be in the mix for the Big 12 Championship.
Both teams are dangerous enough to beat anyone in the Big 12 on the right day, but this is a big test that might define the season. West Virginia has to come up with a good conference road win somewhere, and Iowa State can’t afford not to take down a winnable home chance with four road games in the next six.
- The two teams haven’t played since 2024. Iowa State won 28-16 and is 5-1 since 2017.
- The Mountaineers have home games against Arizona and Cincinnati next before going to TCU and Texas Tech.
Iowa State has a brutal run of three road games in four dates, going to BYU and Arizona next.
The two teams haven’t played since 2024. Iowa State won 28-16 and is 5-1 since 2017.
The Mountaineers have home games against Arizona and Cincinnati next before going to TCU and Texas Tech.
Iowa State has a brutal run of three road games in four dates, going to BYU and Arizona next.
The offense is wildly inconsistent, and it’s even more wildly explosive. It’s second in the nation in yards per completion, fourth in rushing, and when it all works, forget about it.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins and running back Cam Cook are the perfect fit for the attack that runs around 55 times a game with a relentless style that requires hyperfocus. Utah was able to rip off over 200 yards in its win over Iowa State last week, but …
The Cyclone run defense has been terrific overall. Yeah, it had issues with the Utes, but it all but shut down Iowa. The Hawkeyes won, and Utes took off, mainly because the respective passing games were accurate. Iowa’s Hank Brown completed 70% of his passes against the Cyclones, and Utah’s Devon Dampier was on, hitting 67% of his throws.
As good as Hawkins is, he has only connected on 20-of-39 throws over the last two games.
Iowa State will be tough enough defensively to hold up and keep this close for a full four quarters, but it has its own problems consistently completing passes, and it struggles to convert on third down chances.
West Virginia will sputter at times, but it’ll crank out two big drives when the ground attack works perfectly. That will be just enough.
West Virginia 27, Iowa State 26
Latest Consensus Line: Iowa State -3.5, o/u: 53.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2.5
Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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