Happy FRIDAY THE 13TH.... (insert spooky ghost noises here)...
I have a little down time at work at the moment, so I thought I would make a quick prediction prior to the Iowa State-Iowa football game. It's always difficult to pick a close score in these rivalry games, and this year it seems especially difficult. Mainly this is because both teams look down at the moment, and it's hard to know how each will respond.
On one hand, Iowa State's young defense did not look good at all in their first game of the year. We could not tackle or stop the run at all. It's embarrassing to say that they were upset by the UNI Panthers. There are also questions on ISU's offense as their starting center Tom Farniok was injured in the game against the Panthers, and Quarterback Sam Richardson has been in a walking boot for precautionary measures this last week. On the other hand, the Iowa Hawkeyes are only 1-1 after their opening loss to Northern Illinois, and they struggled against a very bad Missouri State team in their win last week. What could happen tomorrow? I really would not be surprised by anything...
As of now the Iowa Hawkeyes are a 2.5 point favorite. Big surprise. If there is one thing that I've learned about these games, it's that the Hawkeyes are almost always over-rated. I pointed out last year that in the last 15 ISU-Iowa football games, Iowa State has beat the spread in 12 of the 15 meetings. The Hawkeyes have been favored in 13 of the 15 games, yet Iowa State has still won 9 of them. A 2.5 point line in favor of the Hawks? That's about as useful as the points on "Whose Line is it Anyway?".
My prediction: Iowa State wins, 26-20. I will say that Aaron Wimberly runs for a TD, and Sam Richardson throws at least one TD... let's say to Quenton Bundrage. How do they score 26 exactly? I don't know, but 6 sounds like a good winning margin for the Cyclones! I'll also say that Mark Weisman scores two TD runs for the Hawkeyes.
GO STATE!!
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