2 Best College Football Bets and Player Props for Iowa at Iowa State

The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones will square off for the 72nd time in their program's histories to determine which team will hoist the Cy-Hawk trophy when the final whistle blows.

To kick off their 2025 season, Iowa secured a 34-7 victory over Albany in Week 1. Meanwhile, Iowa State has jumped out to a 2-0 record with wins over the Kansas State Wildcats and South Dakota, earning them the No. 16 spot in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Will the Hawkeyes get revenge for last season's one-point loss to the Cyclones?

Let's take a look at which bets and player props stand out for Saturday's Iowa-Iowa State showdown that kicks off on Saturday at noon ET.

All college football betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Iowa at Iowa State Betting Picks

1st Half Total: Under 20.5 (-115)

Regardless of who the Hawkeyes have faced, they tend to be involved in low-scoring games in recent years, and that is especially true when they take on the Cyclones. Over the last six meetings between Iowa and Iowa State since 2018, there has been 39 or fewer total points scored in the contest in five of those matchups.

But instead of backing the under for the entire game on Saturday, I'm interested in both offenses having a tough time putting up points in the first half. Just a season ago, Iowa was 15th in points per game allowed (19.3) while Iowa State was 52nd in points per game allowed (24.5), and both defenses look like formidable units once again in 2025.

Back in Week 1, the Cyclones were involved in a low-scoring defensive battle in the first half against Kansas State, and I envision a similar outcome in Saturday's showdown, especially with Iowa and Iowa State being in the top 45 in defensive success rate to begin the 2025 campaign. There's a chance the Hawkeyes didn't pass much in Week 1 with quarterback Mark Gronowski to avoid giving the Cyclones much tape to work off of, and we saw both offenses find their footing in the second half of last season's meeting, so taking the under in the first half allows us to avoid the over from potentially hitting in the later stages of this contest.

Carson Hansen Under 50.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

At the moment, Carson Hansen is the leading rusher for the Cyclones, but there are multiple factors pointing me toward taking the under on his rushing yards prop on Saturday. For starters, the Hawkeyes surrendered the 26th-fewest rushing yards per game (120.4) in 2024, and their front seven looks stout again in 2025 after beginning the season ranked fifth in defensive rushing success rate (15.8%) in their win over Albany.

Additionally, Hansen is sharing the backfield workload for Iowa State alongside Dylan Lee and Abu Sama, so it appears the Cyclones are going to deploy a hot-hand approach with their running back room. After rushing for 71 yards on 16 carries in Week 0, Hansen logged only 19 yards on 9 attempts in Week 1 against South Dakota.

Aside from Hansen averaging the fewest yards per attempt and yards after contact per attempt among Iowa State's running backs this season, he's also been one of the most inefficient backs in college football, posting the 12th-fewest yards per attempt (3.6) and 21st-fewest yards after contact per attempt (2.64) among backs with 15-plus carries in 2025, per PFF. Considering that the Hawkeyes boast a formidable run defense and Hansen has lacked explosiveness on the ground, he likely won't get enough volume to achieve 51-plus rushing yards in Saturday's physical bout.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.