by Rod Pearson
Wednesday, Sep 23, 2026
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 26, 2026
Venue: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA
Where to Watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Utah -8.5, Iowa State +8.5; Over/Under: 48.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Utah -7.5, Iowa State +7.5; Over/Under: 48.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Utah -8, Iowa State +8; Over/Under: 48.5 points
Season Record
Utah Utes: 3-0 (0-0) (4th place, Big 12)
Iowa State Cyclones: 2-1 (0-0) (8th place, Big 12)
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Utah Utes: won their last game at home against the Utah State Aggies 33-0.
Iowa State Cyclones: won their last game at home against the Bowling Green Falcons 55-7.
Utah Utes vs Iowa State Cyclones Preview and Analysis
Utah is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Utah State 33-0. Devon Dampier was the starting QB and he completed 22/32 passes for 253 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Daniel Bray led the team in rushing yards with 82 and 1 TD. Braden Pegan led the receivers with 122 receiving yards on 8 receptions and 2 TDs. Trey Reynolds led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Cyrus Polu led the defense in sacks with 1.5. Rabbit Evans came away with the only interception for them in that one.
Iowa State is entering this game with a 2-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Bowling Green State 55-7. Jaylen Raynor was the starting QB and he completed 11/17 passes for 133 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Aiden Flora led the team in rushing yards with 194 and 2 TDs. Jamal Polite led the receivers with 34 receiving yards on 1 reception and 1 TD. Carson Willich led the defense in that game with 6 tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. Beau Goodwin came away with the only interception for them in that one.
Utah vs Iowa State Prediction
The current betting odds have Utah listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Utah has looked great in their games this season with their 3-0 record overall so far. They haven't played any road games though and will be playing their 1st road game of the season here. Meanwhile, Iowa State has looked good in their games this season with their 2-1 record overall so far. They have looked great on their home field too with their 2-0 home record this season. Iowa State is coming off a 55-7 win over Bowling Green in their last one, but they haven't really been challenged in either win this season. Their other home win this year was against a team from the FCS and even Bowling Green is a team that lost to a team from the FCS in week 1. They did get a challenge on the road against a ranked Iowa opponent and only lost that game 16-13, but that game is always a tight rivalry game. Iowa State doesn't have a ton of talent this year with a lot of their team following Matt Campbell to Penn State and now they have another game against a ranked opponent who could be a threat to win the Big 12. Utah is coming off a 33-0 win over Utah State in their last one and their defense has looked great in all 3 games this season. They are also under a new head coach this season with Whittingham leaving for Michigan, but Whittingham was likely going to be gone anyway and the team has been moving in the right direction under Scalley. The offense hasn't looked great at times, but they do have a lot more talent than Iowa State along with a really talented QB who can be the deciding factor for them in a lot of games. Iowa State's offense is going to have a lot more trouble in this game like they did against that Iowa defense, but Utah also has a lot more firepower on offense to take advantage. The best way to place a bet here is on Utah to cover the spread in this game.
Utah Iowa State Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 26, 2026 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Utah 27 Iowa State 7.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Utah Utes: 27-18 ATS after a 2 game home stand. 39-27 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 8-4 ATS after a win by 17 or more points. 9-3 UNDER off 2 consecutive home wins by 14 points or more. 27-16 UNDER off a home blowout win by 28 points or more.
Iowa State Cyclones: 44-67 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 19-36 ATS vs. good defensive teams who give up 17 or less points/game. 38-25 UNDER as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points. 37-25 UNDER after scoring 37 points or more last game. 24-17 UNDER versus good defensive teams - allowing 310 yards/game or less.
Key Injuries
Utah Utes: None.
Iowa State Cyclones: R. Peppers (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Bailey (WR) Out - Undisclosed.
Notable Quotes
“We’re pretty tight on coverage. You really want to be able to make teams one-dimensional, particularly if you know that’s their strength. Force them into longer-yard situations where they have to throw the ball.” - Morgan Scalley after his team’s win against USU in their last game.
“It’s kind of what we’ve seen at times in practice. It's what we believe we can do. We’re going to have some tougher games coming up and we’ve got to be able to strain for some of those yards. They may not come as easy at times. I was happy to see the body of work come together and the effort we preach.” - Jimmy Rogers after his team’s win against BGSU in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Utah Utes
WR Johnson, Ricky
WR Pegan, Braden
WR Whittemore, Creed
TE Bennee, Noah
QB Dampier, Devon
RB Parker, Wayshawn
Iowa State Cyclones
WR Boyd, Evan
WR Jackson, Cody
WR Hayes, Omari
TE Fortenberry, Tyler
QB Raynor, Jaylen
RB Flora, Aiden
Statistical Leaders
Utah Utes
Passing: Devon Dampier (690)
Rushing: Wayshawn Parker (154)
Receiving: Braden Pegan (235)
Touchdowns: Wayshawn Parker (6)
Iowa State Cyclones
Passing: Jaylen Raynor (434)
Rushing: Aiden Flora (328)
Receiving: Omari Hayes (101)
Touchdowns: Aiden Flora (3)
Coaches:
Utah Utes: Morgan Scalley (1st season)
Iowa State Cyclones: Jimmy Rogers (1st season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
