K-State Wildcats vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Football game time, TV, odds and prediction
Farmageddon isn’t normally the biggest football rivalry on the schedule for Iowa State or Kansas State, but it feels more important than any other game right now.
Stakes will be high on Saturday night inside Jack Trice Stadium.
The Cyclones can win 10 games and reach the Big 12 championship with a victory.
With a win and the right amount of help, the Wildcats can also earn a trip to Arlington, Texas.
At the very least, both teams will be fighting to enhance their bowl prospects and keep their playoff hopes alive. Games don’t get much bigger than this for these rivals.
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s game ...
Kansas State at Iowa State
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa
TV/stream: FOX
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
The line: Iowa State by 2.5 with an O/U of 51.5.
K-State game prediction
This game could get wild.
Both teams have strengths that coincide with weaknesses on the opposite sideline.
For example, Kansas State should be able to run the ball at will against Iowa State. The Wildcats are averaging a Big 12 best six yards per rush behind the legs of Avery Johnson, DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards. They should have no problem moving the chains on the ground against an Iowa State run defense that allows 5.1 yards per rush. That number ranks 15th in the conference.
The Wildcats typically have their way with teams that can’t stop the run. They crushed the other three teams in the Big 12 that allow more than 4.6 yards per run — Arizona (31-7), Cincinnati (41-15) and Oklahoma State (42-20).
But that doesn’t mean that things will be so easy for K-State on Saturday.
Iowa State should be able to throw the ball for huge yardage against a suspect K-State secondary. The Cyclones average 8.2 yards per pass behind Rocco Becht, who creates more big plays with his arm than any other quarterback in the Big 12. That is bad news for a K-State defense that is allowing quarterbacks to complete 62.4% of their passes for an average of 7.3 yards per throw.
Much worse quarterbacks than Becht have looked superhuman against K-State this season.
The team that does a better job playing up to its strengths will win this game.
I’m tempted to pick K-State for that reason. The Wildcats got their running game going last week against Cincinnati and enter this game as an underdog for the first time all season. Chris Klieman usually has his team ready to go in situations like this.
But K-State has not been stellar on the road this season. And Matt Campbell has won three of the past four in this series.
Despite its defensive struggles, the Cyclones have the best scoring defense in the Big 12 at 19.5 points per game. K-State lost to the No. 2 scoring defense (BYU) and the No. 5 scoring defense (Houston) on the road earlier this season.
Iowa State’s defense also ranks second in the Big 12 with 14 interceptions. The Wildcats have been unable to overcome turnovers by Johnson.
Something tells me Iowa State will find a strange way to win a cold game at night in front of its home fans.
Iowa State 34, K-State 30
Last week’s prediction: K-State 31, Cincinnati 24
Actual score: K-State 41, Cincinnati 15
Season record: 7-4
Season record ATS: 5-6
Season record O/U: 7-4.
This story was originally published November 29, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "K-State Wildcats vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Football game time, TV, odds and prediction."