The folks at FanDuel are already leaning with the Iowa Hawkeyes to defeat Jimmy Rogers and the Iowa State Cyclones by 12.5 points. Are the oddsmakers playing it safe, or this is just a heavily uneven line?
Seriously, anyone looking at this spread and hammering the over for Iowa is nuts. Not that rolling with the Hawkeyes is wrong here, but slow your roll if you’re thinking this game’s already spoken for.
Rogers is the new guy in town, and, no, he hasn’t put a blockbuster roster in place of last year’s 8-4 team, but since when has Iowa State been defined by their drafts picks (save for Breece Hall)?
After one 6-6 run at Washington State, Rogers stepped up to a Power Four program at Iowa State where he’s out to replenish the workhorse reputation left by Matt Campbell, now at Penn State. He’s got his work cut out for him, though, and the 2023 FCS Division I national championship coach is entering the fall with the league’s 16th-best transfer portal class by 247 Sports.
But is Cy-Hawk a bust? Not quite.
CLEAN SLATE
Historically, Campbell was the best thing to ever happen to Iowa State football.
Some of his latest project players, including quarterback Rocco Becht and 1,000-yard rusher Carson Hansen, followed the tenured Cyclones head coach over to the Big Ten this offseason. Rogers inherited a turnover of 55 different transfers to outside programs.
Rogers installed Jesse Bobbit as defensive coordinator with key transfers Isaac Terrell, Max Baloun and Bryson Lamb to lead the charge up front. Linebacker Carson Willich stuck around and will lend a hand to transfers Montreze Smith (Austin Peay) and Sullivan Schlimgen (Washington State). It’ll be a far cry from a defense that finished sixth in the league last year, but it’s a start.
More importantly, the Cyclones made a splash at the quarterback position with Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor, who threw for 8,694 career yards and 52 touchdowns with the Red Wolves. They also went after Oklahoma State transfer Zane Flores, who started much of last year’s disastrous Cowboys campaign as a true freshman.
In sum, the Cyclones did their best to equip the line of scrimmage and the quarterback spot with some depth without breaking the bank. This isn’t a Big 12 championship roster, and nobody expected it to be.
WELCOME BACK KIRK
Kirk Ferentz is 70 years old, and it’s pretty cool he’s diving back in for another season.
The longtime Hawkeyes coach is 14-2 all-time against Iowa State, and his squad is heavily favored for when the rivarly returns to Iowa City this fall.
The Cyclones, coming to town on Saturday, Sept. 12, are just the second game of the regular season after a meeting with Northern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 5. It’ll be Iowa’s first litmus test against a Rogers-led, transfer-heavy squad with everything to prove.
Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown are the subject of the QB battle at Iowa, and it’s far from certain just who will take up the task of leading the offense toward a 14th consecutive winning season. Iowa won three of its last four games last fall, including the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia.
Kamari Moulton is a major returning asset in the backfield, as well as South Dakota transfer Lendon Philips, Jr. to help offload some of those touches.
Defensively, Iowa is working with an overhaul similar to Iowa State, where the Hawkeyes actually return the fewest defensive snaps of any Power Four program. Coordinator Phil Parker is rebuilding his interior around key returner Kenneth Merrieweather, and is also entrusting his secondary to a group of transfers and starting experience. Starter Deshaun Lee returns to lead the defensive backs.
Iowa is looking around 8-to-9 win territory again, and it’s an uphill battle for the Cyclones in Week 2.
