Cyclones at Utes Betting Preview: Expert NCAAF Picks and Best Bets

Iowa State Cyclones (8-2 SU, ATS 6-3)  vs Utah Utes (4-6 SU, ATS 2-7)
Date: 7:30 EST Saturday, November 23rd
Location: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
TV: FOX
Point Spread: ISU -6.5/UT +6.5
Money Line: ISU -240/UT  +197
Over/Under: 42.5

At 7:30 ET, Iowa State and Utah will face off at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The game will be broadcast on FOX, and Iowa State comes in with an 8-2 record, while Utah is 4-6. The over/under line is 42.5 points, and Iowa State is favored at -6.5 points on the road. The money line odds are -240 for Iowa State and +197 for Utah.

Head-to-Head Matchup:

The Iowa State Cyclones and Utah Utes did not meet up last season, but over their last three head-to-head matchups, each team is 0-3. Against the spread, each team also went 1-2 and finished with an over/under mark of 1-2. These games averaged a combined 49 points per contest.

Iowa State Cyclones Recent Form:

Iowa State enters Week 13 with an 8-2 record and a 23rd-place spot in our power rankings. They are already bowl-eligible and have an 11.1% chance of winning the Big 12. The Cyclones are 4-1 at home and 3-1 on the road this season.

Iowa State has been favored in eight of their ten games, going 6-2 as the favorite. Their average scoring margin is +12.8 points per game, and they have a 6-3 record against the spread.

The over/under line for this week is 42.5 points. Iowa State’s games have averaged 50 points, with an average over/under line of 48.8 points. Their over/under record stands at 5-4 this season.

Heading into week 13, Iowa State’s offense ranks 32nd in points per game, averaging 31.4, and they are 43rd in our offensive power rankings. Rocco Becht leads the passing attack with 2,628 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 98. Iowa State ranks 30th in passing yards per game nationally.

They are 37th in passing attempts per game, averaging 32.1, and Becht has completed 62.6% of his passes. Jaylin Noel leads the receiving corps with 935 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Iowa State averages 166.6 rushing yards per game, with Carson Hansen rushing for 503 yards and nine touchdowns.

Iowa State’s defense has been a mixed bag this season, ranking 16th nationally by allowing just 18.6 points per game. They’ve excelled against the pass, giving up only 153.4 yards per game, the 8th fewest in the country, and holding opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 54.8, the 4th lowest in college football.

In their recent game against Cincinnati, Iowa State allowed 17 points and gave up 353 total yards, including 287 rushing yards. This season, they’ve struggled against the run, ranking 130th by allowing 188.6 rushing yards per game.

Away Injury Report

Utah Utes Recent Form:

Utah enters Week 13 with a 4-6 record and a 0.0% chance of winning the Big 12. However, they still have an 11.7% chance of becoming bowl-eligible. The Utes are 1-3 at home this season and rank 53rd in our power rankings.

Utah has been favored in seven of their ten games this season, going 3-4 as the favorite. They have a +2.4 average scoring margin but are just 2-7 against the spread.

The over/under line for this week is 42.5 points. Utah’s games have averaged 43 points, with an average over/under line of 46.4 points. Their over/under record for the season is 3-6.

Utah’s offense has struggled heading into week 13, averaging just 22.7 points per game, which ranks 76th nationally. They are 109th in our offensive power rankings and have converted only 33.8% of their third-down attempts. Quarterback Isaac Wilson has thrown for 1,436 yards, with ten touchdowns and 11 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 69. Utah ranks 123rd in passer rating nationally.

Utah is 37th in passing attempts per game, averaging 32.1, and 78th in passing yards, with 215.3 per game. Wilson has completed 54.8% of his passes. Leading receiver Dorian Singer has 681 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, Micah Bernard has rushed for 880 yards, averaging 5 yards per carry, and has three touchdowns.

Utah’s defense will be looking to bounce back after allowing 49 points in their recent game against Colorado. Despite giving up just 65 rushing yards, they allowed 340 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns. Utah also managed to force one interception in the game.

On the season, Utah’s defense ranks 26th nationally, allowing 20.3 points per game. They’ve given up 131.7 rushing yards per game and 191.5 passing yards, with opposing quarterbacks completing just 51.6% of their passes, the seventh-lowest rate in the country.

Home Injury Report

Betting Trends

• Across their last three road contests, Iowa State has been good against the spread, posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1 while averaging 28 points per game.
• In their last ten games at home, the Utah Utes have a straight-up record of 3-7 while going 3-7 vs. the spread. The team averaged 21 points per game in this stretch.
• As the betting underdog, the Utah Utes have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. Utah posted a straight-up mark of 0-3 in these matchups.
• Spanning across their last three games as the betting favorite, the Iowa State Cyclones have gone 1-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-2.

Free Pick

Don’t be scared off by this number at -6.5, as the Cyclones are a much more balanced team. I see the Cyclones going into Salt Lake City and winning this one by double-digits. I’m going with Iowa State at -6.5 for Saturday’s matchup.

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