Week 6 of the college football season is here. Iowa State football plays Baylor football, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, October 5th, 6:30 CT; Ames, Iowa; Jack Trice Stadium
TV: FOX
Records: Baylor Football (2-3); Iowa State Football (4-0)
Last Week: Baylor lost to BYU 34-28; Iowa State beat Houston 20-0
Series History: Baylor leads all-time series 12-10
Last Meeting: Iowa State won 30-18 in 2023
Fun Fact: These two teams have played some close games in recent seasons. Since 2016, the games between Baylor Football and Iowa State Football have been decided by an average of 7.1 points per game.
Iowa State Football vs. Baylor Football Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: Iowa State -13.5
Over/Under: 46.5
Key Players
Baylor Football
Robertson has some dual-threat abilities, but clearly has taking over the starting job from Dequan Finn. And those abilities will need to be on display on Saturday. Robertson has performed pretty well in two Big 12 losses, with five passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. His accuracy has been an issue at times, but he’s clearly the engine that needs to get this offense going for the Bears.
Matt Jones
The linebacker for the Bears is Top 5 in the Big 12 in tackles with 45 total tackles, an average of nine tackles per game, and one sack. The sixth-year senior is clearly the leader of this defensive unit after starting all 12 games last season.
Iowa State Football
Abu Sama
The running back who was expected to be a breakout candidate in 2024 hasn’t exactly gotten off to a red-hot start. But he had his best game of the season last week against Houston, when he rushed for 101 yards on 11 carries, albeit one run was a 77-yarder. But sometimes that’s what you need to break a slump. He had not topped 58 rushing yards in a game in the first three for the Cyclones. Let’s see if he can continue on Saturday.
J.R. Singleton
Singleton is a co-captain for Matt Campbell and the Cyclones and is off to a solid start with three sacks through four games on the season. He is growing from last season when he played in all 13 games and started eight games for Iowa State. Singleton has been in the middle of the Jon Heacock’s defense and his sack and forced fumble vs. Houston played a role in their win last week.
KEY STORYLINES
Baylor Football
Can this team put together four quarters? That’s what Dave Aranda said in his press conference on Monday, and he’s right. An optimist can look at Baylor’s first 59 minutes and 59 seconds vs. Colorado and feel like they had the game won before the Hail Mary by Shedeur Sanders, and then the final three quarters vs. BYU, the Bears outscored the Cougars.
But that’s not how football works. So for Baylor, the defense has been pretty stout, while the offense has had its moments, but it’s just been inconsistent across the board. And with Dave Aranda coaching for his job, that needs to change, and change fast.
Iowa State Football
The Cyclones defense is solid, but the offense sputtered for most the game last week against Houston. Can the Cyclones get that side of the ball back on track? Iowa State currently ranks 9th in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game and 8th in passing yards per game, and while that doesn’t tell the entire story, it’s certainly something that needs to improve if this team is serious about a run to the Big 12 Championship Game and then a College Football Playoff. Rocco Becht had his worst game of the season last week, going 17/28 for 153 yards and a score. He will look to get back on track, but Baylor’s defense has been a strength, so this won’t be easy.
PREDICTION: Iowa State 23, Baylor 16
This has low-scoring affair written all over it. Both teams’ strengths are on the defensive side of the ball, while each offense has sputtered as of late. But, Iowa State has been the more complete team. And now Baylor has to go back out on the road. I can’t pick them in this spot.
