It resumes. And from here, Iowa State needs wins.
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Whom:
Iowa State vs. Kansas State
When:
6:30 PM Cyclone Time
Where:
Bill Snyder Family Stadium
Weather:
Dry, temperatures in the 50’s for most of the game. Not much wind.
How to Watch:
ESPN2
The Opponent:
Kansas State’s interesting. It’s Chris Klieman’s third season at the school, and so far, it’s been…fine. The Cats are 3-2, 0-2 in the Big 12, having lost to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State by a combined 17 points. They’re near the bottom of the Big 12 on paper, far above Kansas but in the bottom of the pack of the rest. It’s a tight pack, though, and they’re playing at home, where Iowa State hasn’t won since 2004. Does K-State have Iowa State’s number? I wouldn’t go that far, but even in ISU’s era of recent success, they haven’t been able to win in Manhattan.
Skylar Thompson returned to play Oklahoma, and it sounds like he’ll play again, but it’s unclear exactly how healthy he is. Like Iowa State, K-State’s coming off a week of rest.
We’ll see.
The Numbers:
Bill Connelly’s SP+ has the Cyclones a 7.6-point favorite. Vegas has the line at 6.5 and the over/under at 50.5, implying about a 28-22 ISU win.
What Iowa State Needs to Do:
Finish the job. Each of the last two trips to Manhattan have featured a bad fourth quarter. This is unusual for Iowa State these days, but it was the case, and Kansas State has a bit of that never-say-die ethos to them. It’s a scrappy program.
Other Games of Interest:
Texas and Oklahoma State are kicking off right now in Austin. Baylor’s hosting BYU, which won’t affect the Big 12 standings but is interesting. Oklahoma hosts TCU.
Iowa State Thoughts:
You can’t lose this game and make the Big 12 Championship, by which I mean you technically might be able to, but it’s hard to see it happening. Iowa State’s path requires getting to that 7-2 mark and having Baylor either out of the picture, at 6-3, or part of a multi-team tie that breaks ISU’s way. Or, you know, beating Oklahoma in Norman the weekend before Thanksgiving, but that’s not exactly the kind of thing you make central to your plan.
That’s looking ahead, though, and implies that this game means little besides as part of ISU’s championship push. It’s a big game in and of itself, a friendly rivalry with a long enough streak at this stadium that Iowa State would do well to break it. Get the lid back off.
