For a moment, let’s remember when this was Iowa State’s only good shot of the season at a conference win.
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Whom:
Iowa State vs. Kansas
When:
6:00 PM Cyclone Time
Where:
Jack Trice Stadium
Weather:
Temperatures in the seventies, then the sixties, with the wind likely not much of a factor.
How to Watch:
FS1
The Opponent:
Kansas, in its first year under Lance Leipold, has a long way to go. They’re 1-3 overall, with their lone win a three-point squeaker against a South Dakota team that ranks just 18th in the FCS in Bill Connelly’s SP+. Last week, the Jayhawks allowed Duke to rack up 607 yards of total offense, including 279 on the ground.
The Numbers:
SP+ has the Cyclones a 34.7-point favorite. Vegas has the line at 34.5 and the over/under at 57, implying something like a 45-10 Cyclone victory.
What Iowa State Needs to Do:
Crush ‘em. Pound ‘em. Run all over ‘em. Play like a team that can win the Big 12 Championship. It’s all still out there in front of these guys.
Other Games of Interest:
In the rest of conference play, TCU hosts Texas, Oklahoma goes to Kansas State, Texas Tech goes to West Virginia, and Oklahoma State hosts Baylor. In nonconference interests, Iowa’s a field goal favorite at Maryland tonight.
Iowa State Thoughts:
Statistically, it’s fair to say each of the two losses could have gone the other way, and with ISU’s recent penchant for hitting their stride as the year goes on, there’s plenty of reason to hope. After this one, though, none of the seven Big 12 games figure to be easy. It’s a tough conference schedule: Only four home games, and one of those is this one, the one game you’d prefer to play on the road (so you can get more games at home). Anyway, that’s all getting ahead of ourselves. Hopefully the guys take care of business this week. Just blow ‘em out. Head into the idle week feeling alright about the world.
