Good Cop: Presley Polvere

After a 29-31 loss to the Baylor University Bears in the Cyclones’ Big 12 opener, the team will be back in action this weekend against the Kansas University Jayhawks in Ames.

A loss of discipline came on both sides for Iowa State last week. Late offensive mistakes allowed the Bears to capitalize and finish the game. 

However, a new team comes with it a new opportunity for the Cyclones. They can play like they did versus the University of Nevada Las Vegas just two weekends ago, with both offensive and defensive discipline. 

The Jayhawks are 1-3 on the season. If the Cyclones can show offensive dominance early in junior Breece Hall, red-shirt senior Charlie Kolar and senior Xavier Hutchinson, they’ll have what it takes to beat the Jayhawks.

Prediction: Iowa State 38, Kansas 14

Bad Cop: Andrew Harrington

Iowa State and Kansas have both gotten off to less than ideal starts to the season, and they are coming into a game that will be a turning point for each of the teams’ seasons. Whichever team loses this game will be in a very bad situation for the rest of the season.

The main struggle for the Kansas Jayhawks has been defense, as the team has allowed 40 points per game to go along with an average of 475 yards of total offense allowed. Most of this damage has come from the Jayhawks’ run defense, which has given up 240 yards per game.

Iowa State is coming off of their second loss of the season, against a team that many fans and experts expected to end in a Cyclone win. The only matchup so far that the Cyclones have performed up to their standards came the week prior against UNLV.

The Cyclone offense has underperformed multiple times in 2021, leaving a lot of points on the table so far.

Expect the Kansas offense to come out looking hungry to be the next team to take down the Cyclones. This will likely still not be enough to override the talent gap between the two teams, allowing Iowa State to sneak away with the win.

Prediction: Iowa State 31, Kansas 23