College Football: 2 Best Bets and Player Props for Iowa State vs. Kansas State

The wait is over for college football to be back in our lives, with Week 0 having five games on the docket for Saturday. The first game will be a Big 12 bout between the No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones and No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats, giving us our first ranked matchup of the new campaign.

Kickoff for Saturday's Iowa State-Kansas State contest is scheduled for noon ET, and the game will take place at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

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

Iowa State vs. Kansas State Betting Picks

1st Half Spread: Kansas State -1.5 (-110)

Kansas State won't be able to begin the season in front of their home fans, but that won't stop me from placing confidence in them to secure at least a lead in the first half. There are high hopes for the Wildcats entering the 2025 season as they notably have quarterback Avery Johnson and running back Dylan Edwards returning to form a dynamic backfield duo.

During the 2024 campaign, Kansas State excelled at pounding the rock, ranking 31st in expected points added per rushing attempt (0.08) and 44th in offensive rushing success rate (43.5%). While the Wildcats' starting running back from a season ago (DJ Giddens) is now in the NFL, Edwards did more than enough as his backup last year to believe he can keep the team's rushing attack operating smoothly.

Along with Kansas State being a team that can do damage on the ground, Iowa State was 73rd in expected points added allowed per rushing attempt (0.02) and 84th in defensive rushing success rate (42.2%) a season ago, and the Wildcats could see improvements in the passing game after bringing in three new transfers at the wide receiver position to pair with Jayce Brown -- the team's leading receiver from last season. With Kansas State also deploying a defense that was 17th in success rate (36.9%) in 2024 while returning most of their front seven, they can give themselves at least a two-point cushion when these teams enter the locker room at halftime in Dublin.

Dylan Edwards Over 80.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

Just to continue the theme of backing Kansas State's rushing attack, why not take Edwards to gash Iowa State's run defense? While Edwards may not handle a full workload, he figures to be the featured back in the Wildcats' offense this season, and Kansas State has two new transfers joining the offensive line in hopes to be even more effective on the ground.

We got a glimpse of what Edwards is capable as a starter in the Rate Bowl versus the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last season, and he scampered for 196 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns on 18 carries. Even though Rutgers was 130th in expected points added allowed per rushing attempt (0.18) and 115th in defensive rushing success rate (45.2%) a season ago, Iowa State doesn't have a defense we should shy away from in the rushing yards market.

Among college backs with 50-plus rushing attempts in 2024, Edwards posted the 5th-most yards per attempt (7.4), 36th-most yards after contact per attempt (4.15), and 31st-highest breakaway percentage (rushing yardage on designed runs of 15-plus yards; 51.3%), per PFF. Assuming we get 15-ish carries out of Edwards in the season opener, he should have no issues approaching the century mark on the ground against the Cyclones.

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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.