It’s here. Finally.

The single game everyone has been anticipating since, well, this same weekend last year.

Iowa State and Iowa both enter the intrastate clash with 1-0 records with wins over Illinois State and Ball State, respectively.

Neither team can use last Saturday’s games as arguments for or against victory. ISU coach Dan McCarney said he didn’t spend extra time preparing for Iowa, instead focusing on Illinois State. I don’t think that’s necessarily true.

The Cyclones spent all of 20 minutes on the Redbirds, instead using the time to prepare for their instate matchup. Nothing used in the opener is an indication of what Iowa State is capable of.

Also, nothing can be taken from Iowa’s win over Ball State. I’m pretty sure there are several small high schools who could handle Ball State with ease, especially when the Cardinals were missing nearly their entire starting lineup.

The Iowa secondary can’t stop Iowa State’s bigger, more physical receiving corps. The tallest defensive back Iowa has to offer is 6-foot-1-inch Charles “Papa Smurf” Godfrey.

Good luck covering the much taller Todd Blythe, Jon Davis, Ben Barkema and Walter Nickel. The Cyclone size advantage will allow ISU receivers to pluck balls from over the Hawkeye’s heads.

On any given play, quarterback Bret Meyer has five legitimate options and has proved to be an accurate passer. He is also an able scrambler, meaning one defender who would otherwise drop back in pass coverage will be forced to shadow.

Meyer will have time to pass because Iowa’s defensive front won’t be able to get through the Cyclone offensive line. The Hawkeye D-line has promise, but the linemen are too young and inexperienced to fool a veteran Iowa State offensive front five.

Time to throw equals big plays. Big plays equal points. Points equal a win.

It’s a simple mathematical equation — one that has been proven to work.

I concede that Iowa has the two best linebackers in the Big 10, maybe in the entire country. But Greenway and Hodge can’t be everywhere. There are holes in the Hawkeye defense, and Iowa State has the weapons to exploit them.

As for the Iowa offense, I’m still looking for proof that the Hawkeyes have a healthy running back. I am also convinced that doctors at the University of Iowa only know how to diagnose one injury — a blown ACL.

Drew Tate is an exceptional quarterback, but he can only continue his magic for so long. He performed miracles during the entire 2004 season, but that run won’t continue.

A veteran ISU defense has experience and professional talent at all three levels, the line, linebackers and secondary. Jason Berryman, Shawn Moorehead and Nick Leaders aren’t spectacular individually, but together they are as good as any group in football.

Freshman Adam Carper will be a Cyclone stalwart for years to come, and Nik Moser and Steve Paris anchor a solid secondary. This group of defenders will slow Iowa enough to provide an ISU victory.

The pick: Iowa State 27, Iowa 14.