BEST LINES: Pinnacle +3 -109 Bet365 +3 -110 SportsInteraction +3 -110 5DIMES +3 -110

Posted at 10:15 AM EST.

12:00 PM EST. Rivalry games are a stage for the unpredictable. Outside of last year’s Iowa dominance in Iowa City, the Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy has defied expectations on numerous occasions. Previous to 2016, the away team had won in four consecutive meetings. Over the span of five contests dating from 2011 to 2015, Iowa State won thrice. In four of these five meetings, the margin of victory was six points or less. In 2011, overtime was required to declare a winner. But that’s all ancient history. In 2016, the Hawkeyes laid waste to the Cyclones in Kinnick Stadium when they pounded their intrastate adversaries by a score of 42-3. Heading into the contest, the Hawks were favored by over two touchdowns against a far lowlier edition of Cyclones football. In 2017, the prognostications for the Cyclones and Hawkeyes are headed in opposite directions. Some analysts have argued that Iowa has the floor of being a middling 6-6 team while Iowa State may gain bowl eligibility for the first time since 2012. Very likely this match-up will play a monumental role in determining the finality of both team’s campaigns.

The Hawkeyes exceeded expectations after they thrashed Wyoming in their Week One opener. Iowa’s notoriously stout defense held the Cowboys to just a field goal. Heading into the affair, the talk of the town was Wyoming’s signal caller Josh Allen, who has been hyped up as a potential top draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite the fanfare surrounding Allen, Iowa held him to 174 yards passing and did not allow him to find the end zone. In addition, the Hawkeyes picked off Allen twice. As a result, the Black and Yellow cruised to a 24-3 win. In spite of Iowa’s success against Wyoming and their exceptional performance against Iowa State in 2016, the market has priced this one deceptively economical to the eyes of many Iowa backers. When the price seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. With all the rhetoric surrounding this contest in the pre-season, Iowa State will enter this meeting with heightened optimism. Unexpected things happen in this series, and, essentially, that Vegas has been unable to get a hold of this rivalry. Just maybe, Vegas has it figured out this year. Depending on where you look, the line opened with Iowa being a one-point choice and now they’re up to -3. The Hawkeyes have now been the betting line favorite 17 straight seasons over the Cyclones and that’s more than enough fodder to get this market to bite. We, however, are buying into the prospect of an I-State victory for the first time since 2011 and the initial offering in this market suggests that the books are as well. The Hawkeyes are on upset alert.

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