The Iowa State Cyclones have not traditionally been among the better teams in college football, but there is a lot of optimism surrounding the program heading into 2019. Iowa State is coming off a campaign in which it won eight games, and, more importantly, ended the season with some serious momentum. True freshman quarterback Brock Purdy proved to be a revelation and big things are expected of him as a sophomore. Coach Matt Campbell has drawn interest from bigger schools but has remained with Iowa State and could have his best season yet in 2019.
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Iowa State regular season win total
o8 -100
u8 -120
Iowa State Win Total Odds Analysis
The Cyclones play a tough Big XII slate in which they will certainly be challenged. Iowa State hopes to start off undefeated in non-conference play in matchups against Northern Iowa, Iowa and Louisiana-Monroe. The conference schedule begins against Baylor, followed by matchups with TCU, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The Cyclones have a very challenging back-to-back set next with a road game at Oklahoma followed by a home game against Texas. If Iowa State can manage to win one of those games it should be a near-lock to hit the “over” on the win total.
The Cyclones will round out the regular season with games against Kansas and Kansas State. While Iowa State isn’t a juggernaut and is certainly capable of losing to a variety of teams on its schedule, hitting nine wins is a distinct possibility if things go well.
Iowa State Odds
Purdy has the program really excited after he led the Cyclones to seven wins in his nine contests as the starter. He will have a strong offensive line leading the way, as Iowa State returns all five of its starters for the first time in a half-decade. While that is the good news, the bad is that the Cyclones will be without two game-changing skill players. Running back David Montgomery and wide receiver Hakeem Butler both departed for the NFL after putting up big-time numbers in 2018. Iowa State is not a recruiting factory, so it doesn’t just have star skill players waiting in the wings to replace them. The Cyclones’ ability to adequately replace that talent will play a large role in whether or not the team succeeds this season.
The defense only gave up 22.9 points per game a year ago and was extremely stout against the run. The Cyclones have continued to take positive steps defensively under Campbell’s watch and would love to see more of the same this year. Iowa State’s defensive line should be really good, as it has a nice combination of high-end talent and experience. The departure of cornerback Brian Peavy is a concern, but if the secondary is able to hold up, Iowa State will be in good shape defensively.
Key Stats or Trends
Iowa State was a doormat in the conference for multiple seasons before Campbell arrived, but he has turned things around. The Cyclones failed to win more than three games four straight years heading into 2017, but captured eight in that campaign. They did the same last year and now the oddsmakers have made that the standard for 2019 as well. Iowa State has a quarterback that looks like a burgeoning star as well as a strong defense.
If they can find some playmakers at running back and receiver, this could be the type of team that pulls an upset in the Big 12 and hangs around in the conference race until the end. Things are looking up at Iowa State and the program would love to take another step forward by securing nine or more wins to hit the “over” in the win total in 2019.
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