Iowa State Cyclones Football Odds

Iowa State Cyclones bets should add fun to the 2022 football season. The Cyclones are picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 preseason media poll.

A century has passed since they last won a conference championship in football, but things have been looking up lately. The team from Ames will be looking for its sixth-straight bowl appearance in 2022.

Iowa sportsbooks welcome action on Iowa State football games in a variety of ways. Below, find live odds (point spread, moneylines, totals) on the next ISU football game, plus how to get started betting on their games at Iowa online sportsbooks.

How to Bet on Iowa State University Football

The first thing to check on is your eligibility to bet on sports in Iowa. You can legally bet in Iowa if you’re:

• At least 21 years of age.
• Not on any gambling self-exclusion lists.
• Physically within the borders of Iowa when you place your wager(s).

You don’t have to live in Iowa to bet in Iowa. The law in the state does require your presence in the state when you bet, though. You can do this either online (using a sportsbook app or website licensed by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission) or at a brick-and-mortar sportsbook inside an Iowa casino.

If you’re eligible and want to bet online, the first step is to download the app of the sportsbook you want to use. Whether Android or Apple, most Iowa sportsbooks have a mobile option. Just search for the sportsbook’s name on the Apple App Store (iOS devices) Google Play Store (Android) or visit the sportsbook’s website with a mobile browser.

After that, you’ll have to register. You don’t have to be in the Hawkeye State to sign up. The sportsbook does need to verify your eligibility and to gather some information for tax purposes. In the course of registration, the book may ask you to provide:

• Date of birth
• Email address
• Last four digits of your Social Security Number
• Legal name
• Mailing address

The final step to preparation is adding funds to your account. Iowa sportsbooks will accept a variety of payment forms; however, they don’t allow credit cards. You can visit the sportsbook’s retail casino partner to make a deposit with cash there (the casino’s name or logo should be on the sportsbook’s homepage), or choose any of the following electronic means:

• ACH payments from a checking or savings account
• Debit cards
• Online banking
• PayNearMe or Skrill
• Prepaid cards
• Third-party e-wallets, including PayPal
• Wire transfers

Once the sportsbook accepts your deposit, you’re ready to go. Just navigate to the college football section of the app and browse the markets. You’ll see a variety, some of the most popular of which we’ll break down here.

College Football Betting Formats

Iowa is one of the most open markets for betting on college sports in the country. That’s a good thing for sportsbooks in the state, as there are no NFL teams in IA. In addition to placing a moneyline or straight bet on individual games, there are many other bet types available.

How point spread bets work for college football

Probably the most popular way to bet on college football is wagering on the point spread of a single game. Some bettors do like to parlay spreads from multiple games together, though. It’s up to you after you understand how those markets work. Here’s an example of such a market from an Iowa sportsbook:

In this market, you’ll see the two teams in the game. The home team is always on the bottom. Then, you’ll see what’s called the “line,” or what the sportsbook believes the margin of victory for the winning team will be. In this case, that’s 2.5 points.

As it’s impossible to score just half of a point in football, you might be wondering is the half-point. That’s called a “hook” in sports betting. It ensures that either you or the book will win the bet.

You probably also noticed the negative sign next to the Iowa State line. That tells you that the Cyclones are the favorite in this game. It also tells you what needs to happen in order for you to win your bet.

With this information, you now understand what the market is saying. If you think Iowa State will win this game by at least three points, you’d want to bet the Cyclones in this market. On the other hand, if you feel that the Iowa Hawkeyes will pull off the upset or the final score will be closer than three points, you’d bet the Hawkeyes.

The number in parentheses tells you what your payout will be if you win. American odds work with 100 as a base. Because these odds are negative, they tell you what you have to wager to make $100 in profit. So, if you put down $110 and win, your total payout would be $210 (your $110 wager back plus $100 in profit).

Futures betting in college football

Another popular way to bet on college football in Iowa is futures wagering. These markets get this name because the events take place months into the future. An example of such a market on which team will win the Big 12 Conference championship is below.

In addition to selecting the right team in this market, the other trick is timing. You want to get the absolute best price for the team you want to stake. The odds in these markets can fluctuate throughout the offseason and season as an activity that affects this outcome happens.

Prop bets on college football in Iowa

If you visit an Iowa sportsbook, you won’t find any betting markets on things like how many yards the Cyclones’ best running back will accumulate during a specific game. Why? IA law forbids all prop bets on individual college athletes’ performances.

Sportsbooks in IA are free to post prop bets on entire college teams, however. So, if you want to bet on how many points Iowa State will score in the second quarter of a game, that’s completely permissible and usually available.

Iowa State Home Games

Iowa State Schedule

Big changes are on the horizon, but for one more season, the Cyclones will play all nine conference opponents and three non-conference games.

One of those non-conference contests is always against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Cy-Hawk rivalry is usually the second game of the season for both teams.

Texas and Oklahoma are working on an exit timeline to leave the conference for the SEC. The Big 12 will add BYU, Central Florida (UCF), Cincinnati and Houston as the Longhorns and Sooners depart. The alignment may change even more depending on the super-conference scramble so far in July.

The Cyclones announced a schedule change just before Memorial Day. The Thursday night game against Oklahoma in Ames has been moved to Saturday, Oct. 29 instead. The time hasn’t been announced.

The Iowa State 2022 schedule looks like this. Times and networks could change during the course of the summer:

• Sept. 3: vs. Southeast Missouri State (1 p.m. on ESPN+)
• Sept. 10: at Iowa (3 p.m. on BTN)
• Sept. 17: vs. Ohio (1 p.m. on ESPN+)
• Sept. 24: vs. Baylor
• Oct. 1: at Kansas
• Oct. 8: vs. Kansas State
• Oct. 15: at Texas
• Oct. 29: Oklahoma
• Nov. 5: vs. West Virginia
• Nov. 12: at Oklahoma State
• Nov. 19: vs. Texas Tech
• Nov. 26: at TCU
• Dec. 3: Big 12 Conference Championship Game in Arlington, TX

How to Watch Iowa State Football

The Big 12 doesn’t have its own network like other conferences, but it does have broadcast deals with Disney and Fox. Thus, if you have a cable or satellite package that carries the appropriate networks, you should be able to find Cyclones football games live on one of the following:

• ABC
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNU
• Fox
• FS1
• FS2

Disney and Fox have their own streaming platforms for the content that appears on those networks as well, ESPN+ and Fox Sports Go. You can access them using your cable or satellite credentials. Without subscribing to such a service, however, you may find it difficult to stream or watch Iowa State football games live.

How Did Iowa State Do Last Season?

The Fiesta Bowl champions from 2020 started the 2021 season in the AP top 25, but losses to Iowa, Baylor, West Virginia and Oklahoma dampened expectations. Iowa State finished its 2021 season with a 20-13 loss to No. 19 Clemson in the Cheez-It Bowl. Still, it was the fifth-consecutive bowl game under coach Matt Campbell.

Quarterback Brock Purdy threw for over 3,100 yards and 19 touchdowns while running back Breece Hall gained almost 1,500 rushing yards, finding pay-dirt through the running game 20 times. The Cyclones also allowed just 20.5 points per game on average.

Biggest Rivalry Games for Iowa State

Iowa and Iowa State play annually for the Cy-Hawk trophy. The in-state rivalry game usually falls in the second full week of the college football season. Iowa leads the all-time series 46-22, including a 30-14 mark in the “trophy era,” which dates back to 1977. The teams didn’t play from 1935 to the resumption of the series and trophy debut in ’77.

Iowa State lost Missouri — and the Telephone Trophy rivalry — when the Tigers left the Big 12 Conference for the SEC. In recent years, fans have nicknamed the Kansas State-Iowa State game “Farmageddon.” The teams have met since 1917 and the Cyclones have a slim 52-49-4 all-time edge over the Wildcats. Someone, get this rivalry a trophy.

Iowa State Record Over the Past 5 Seasons

• 2021: 7-6 overall, 5-4 Big 12
• 2020: 9-3 overall, 8-2 Big 12
• 2019: 7-6 overall, 5-4 Big 12
• 2018: 8-5 overall, 6-3 Big 12
• 2017: 8-5 overall, 5-4 Big 12

Iowa State Player/Team Statistics in the Past 3 Seasons

• 2021: 31.3 points per game/20.5 points allowed per game. Passing leader — Brock Purdy, 3,188 yards. Rushing leader — Breece Hall, 1,472 yards. Receiving leader — Xavier Hutchinson, 987 yards.
• 2020: 32.9 points per game/21.4 points allowed per game. Passing leader — Brock Purdy, 2,750 yards. Rushing leader — Breece Hall, 1,572 yards. Receiving leader — Xavier Hutchinson, 771 yards.
• 2019: 32.2 points per game/25.9 points allowed per game. Passing leader — Brock Purdy, 3,982 yards. Rushing leader — Breece Hall, 897 yards. Receiving leader — Deshaunte Jones, 877 yards.

Iowa State Top NFL Draft Picks

While there isn’t a long list of Cyclones being drafted into the NFL in the first round, later-round picks from Iowa State are abundant. The same goes for years in which NFL teams selected multiple Cyclones. Here’s a shortlist of the highest-drafted Cyclones ever:

• George Amundson: Through the 2020 NFL Draft, the running back is still the only Iowa State player to go in the first round of an NFL Draft. The Houston Oilers took him 14th overall in 1973.
• Mike Stensrud: Another Oilers draftee, this former Iowa State defensive tackle came off the board with the third pick of the second round in 1979.
• Keith Sims: The two-time All-Pro guard was a Miami Dolphins draftee in 1990, selected 14th in the second round that year out of Iowa State.
• Otto Stowe: Before he won Super Bowl VII, the Dolphins used the 21st pick of the second round in 1971 on this talented Cyclones wide receiver.
• Matt Blair: Blair made the Pro Bowl six times as a linebacker from Iowa State, thanks to the Minnesota Vikings taking him 25th in the second round in 1974.

Iowa State Coaching Staff

As the Cyclones have struggled to put together winning seasons, Iowa State has spent the same amount of time searching for the right coach to establish a successful tradition. Just three of the head coaches in Cyclones history who spent at least three seasons in the role have winning records. Here are the top coaches in Iowa State football history:

• Matt Campbell (2016-present): Campbell is not only the only Cyclones head coach to lead his team to five-straight bowls but also has the second-best winning percentage for any Iowa State coach with more than two years’ experience at .553 (42-34).
• Earle Bruce (1973-78): Although the Cyclones lost both bowl games in his tenure, his 36 wins over his six seasons give him a .529 winning percentage over the 68 games he coached.
• Mike Michalske (1942-46): In the five seasons Michalske was at the helm of Iowa State, the Cyclones went an even 18-18. Few others have matched that consistency over the same amount of time.
• Clyde Williams (1907-12): The only football coach to win a conference title in Cyclones history, his .653 winning percentage (35-12-2) is still the best-ever at ISU. Williams also served ISU as the men’s basketball coach and athletic director early in the 20th century.

College Football: History of the Iowa State Cyclones

The most successful years for the Iowa State Cyclones were 1911 and 1912. At the time, the team was playing in the MVIAA (the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association) and was coached by Clyde Williams. In each of those years, the Cyclones would finish as co-champions in the conference, losing just three games over the two seasons.

Since the advent of the Associated Press poll to rank college football teams, the Iowa State Cyclones have been ranked in the top 25 a total of 49 times. On three occasions they have finished the season ranked — in 1976 they were ranked No. 19 after an 8-3 season, in 2000 they were ranked No. 25 after a 9-3 season, and in 2020 they were ranked ninth with another 9-3 record.

In their history, the Cyclones have played a total of 16 bowl games, with the latest success coming in 2020 when they beat Oregon 34-17 in the Fiesta Bowl. Iowa State is currently on a streak of five consecutive seasons with a bowl game appearance.

College Hall of Fame Inductees from the Iowa Cyclones

Ed Bock was the first Hall of Fame inductee for the Cyclones, in 1970. His senior season in 1938 saw the team finish with a 7-1-1 record, and he would become the first consensus first-team All-American in the history of the team.

Earle Bruce was the head coach of Iowa State between 1973 and 1978, taking the team to only its second and third bowl appearances in team history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2002.

Troy Davis is considered to be the best running back in the history of the program. He twice earned consensus All-American honors and was the first-ever NCAA Division I-A running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. In 1996 he finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, the closest a player from Iowa State University has ever come to winning the prestigious award.