Fans call the Iowa State–Kansas State rivalry “Farmageddon,” and the series has everything but a traveling trophy.
The Cyclones would have the mythical hardware after a 45-0 rout last season in Ames. But that kind of comfy margin isn’t the norm when these two teams meet:
- 2019 — The Wildcats scored the final 13 points in a 27-17 win in Iowa State’s last trip to Manhattan, KS.
- 2018 — Iowa State rallied from 17 points down in the fourth quarter to stun Kansas State 42-38.
- 2017 — The Cyclones led 19-7 at Kansas State, but the Wildcats scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 6:07 for a 20-19 win.
- 2016 — Kansas State had a huge 31-10 lead going into the fourth quarter of Iowa State’s 2016 homecoming game. The Cyclones charged back with two fourth-quarter touchdowns and a safety, but the rally fell just short in a 31-26 loss.
That’s just during the coach Matt Campbell era at Iowa State. The Farmageddon lesson: Don’t count your bushels until the crop is out of the field.
And, don’t think a bet on the Cyclones or Wildcats is safe if either team has a fourth-quarter lead. The Cyclones are favored by 6.5 points as of Thursday afternoon.
Farmageddon odds for Iowa State at Kansas State
Iowa State is coming off a bye week. The Cyclones crushed Kansas 59-7 on Oct. 2. The Wildcats had last week off as well. They fell 37-31 to then-No. 6 Oklahoma two weeks ago.
How to watch Farmageddon
- What: Iowa State (3-2, 1-1 in Big 12) at Kansas State (3-2, 0-2)
- When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, KS
- TV: ESPN2
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Beyond Farmageddon: Iowa State Big 12 Championship odds
Iowa State’s Big 12 Conference championship hopes took a hit with its 31-29 loss on Sept. 25 at Baylor.
- Oklahoma navigated some close calls. The Sooners are odds-on favorites to win the conference championship.
- Texas and Oklahoma State have moved past the Cyclones in the conference odds.
- The sportsbooks offering bets in Iowa think the Longhorns have the best chance to earn a rematch with the Sooners.
The Cyclones have yet to play the three teams ahead of them in the Big 12 Conference futures odds.
Remember: In the Big 12, the first- and second-place teams play each other again in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 4, in Arlington, TX. Keep that in mind with conference champion futures bets.
The Big 12 team with the best regular-season record isn’t the champion for betting purposes. They still need to win on Dec. 4 for the bet to pay off. Finishing second keeps Iowa State in the conference title and New Year’s Six bowl hunt.
The Big 12 Conference sends its champion (or an alternate if the champion is in the College Football Playoff) to the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Can Iowa State reach the College Football Playoff?
Wins over Oklahoma State, Texas and Oklahoma would certainly push Iowa State up the weekly College Football Playoff Selection Committee rankings. The Cyclones would need a lot of chaos to reach the Cotton Bowl or Orange Bowl semifinal games, however. Campbell focused on Kansas State in his weekly remarks to reporters, but he doesn’t rule anything out if his team continues to improve.
“College football is crazy in general. I think I said that from the get-go. This is going to be a really unique and different year. I think we’re finding that out and I think it will only get crazier as the season goes. And to my point in that, if you’re getting better, if you can stay the course, if you can navigate the outside noise and play your best football when you need to play your best football, then I think you have a chance to be a special team.”
About 20 teams have shorter odds to win the college football national championship for now.
Iowa State bowl projections will change after Farmageddon
Bowl projections shift from week to week, but the guesses from college football beat writers place the Cyclones at three destinations going into the K-State game.
Liberty Bowl (Dec. 28 in Memphis)
- Jerry Palm at CBS — vs. Tennessee
- Steven Lassan at Athlon Sports — vs. Mississippi State
Cheez-It Bowl (Dec. 29 in Orlando)
- Erick Smith at USA Today — vs. Wake Forest
- Bill Bender at Sporting News — vs. Pitt
Texas Bowl (Jan. 4 in Houston)
- Kyle Bonagura at ESPN — vs. Texas A&M
- Mark Schlabach at ESPN — vs. LSU
Big 12 Conference odds for Farmageddon Saturday
11 a.m. games
- No. 12 Oklahoma State at No. 25 Texas (FOX)
2:30 p.m. games (unless noted)
- No. 19 BYU at Baylor (ESPN)
- Texas Tech at Kansas (3 p.m. Bi2 12-ESPN+)
6:30 p.m. games
- TCU at No. 4 Oklahoma (ABC)
- Iowa State at Kansas State (ESPN2)
Top 25 games and live college football odds
Friday, Oct. 15
California at No. 9 Oregon (9:30 p.m. ESPN)
No. 24 San Diego State at San Jose State (9:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network)
11 a.m. games
- UCF at No. 3 Cincinnati (ABC)
- No. 10 Michigan State at Indiana (FS1)
- Auburn at No. 17 Arkansas (CBS)
- No. 20 Florida at LSU (ESPN)
- No. 21 Texas A&M at Missouri (SEC Network)
2:30 p.m. games
- No. 11 Kentucky at No. 1 Georgia (CBS)
- Purdue at No. 2 Iowa (ABC)
6:30 p.m. games (unless noted)
- No. 5 Alabama at Mississippi State (6 p.m. ESPN)
- No. 13 Ole Miss at Tennessee (SEC Network)
- No. 22 North Carolina State at Boston College (ACC Network)
9 p.m. game
- No. 18 Arizona State at Utah (ESPN)
