Best College Football Bets Today for Iowa State vs. Kansas State in Week 0

Iain MacMillan | Aug 22, 2025

Iowa State is a 3-point underdog against Kansas State in College Football Week 0. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

College football is officially back! No. 22 Iowa State and No. 17 Kansas State will officially get the 2025 season underway when they face off against each other in Dublin, Ireland, today. The game starts at Noon ET, so don't wait to place your bets!

Luckily for you, I have three bets right here that I'm ready to lock in for today's marquee matchup. Let's dive into them.

All odds in this article are via FanDuel Sportsbook

Iowa State vs. Kansas State Best Bets Today

• Iowa State +3.5 (-114) vs. Kansas State
• UNDER 50.5 (-105)
• Carson Hensen OVER 57.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

Iowa State +3.5 (-114) vs. Kansas State

In the first 2025 edition of First to Forde, Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde broke down why he's backing the Cyclones to cover the spread:

Week Zero games in Ireland have had an impact on conference races before they’d really even started – Florida State revealed itself to be a massive bust last year in this game, and Nebraska’s loss to Northwestern in 2022 paved the way for Scott Frost’s firing a month later. I’m not sure anything that dire will happen in this Farmageddon showdown, but I’m taking the points with the Cyclones. The Wildcats lost outright three times as a favorite last year, and I have to see QB Avery Johnson make strides before I actually believe it.

UNDER 50.5 (-105)

One of the most dominant facets of the game that I'm relying on is Iowa State's secondary. They allowed just 169.0 passing yards per game last season, the third-best mark in the entire nation. If they can match that ability this season, especially in a Week 0 game overseas, they're going to be an impressive unit to watch.

On top of that, I expect both teams to lean on their run game. It's the strength of Kansas State's offense, and with Iowa State still looking to replace the talent at wide receiver they had last season, Carson Hensen and Abu Sama III will be who they'll lean on early in the season.

Weird things happen in Week 0 games overseas, so it seems likely that both teams will implement a conservative game plan, leading to a low-scoring affair.

Carson Hensen OVER 57.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

I wrote an article breaking down my top player props for this game, but my favorite of the three is for Iowa State running back Carson Hensen to go over his rushing yards total:

I expect Carson Hansen to get the bulk of carries for Iowa State this season after averaging 5.0 yards per carry on 151 carries last season. Last year, Hansen ran for 58 yards on 13 carries against the Wildcats, and there's no reason why he can't improve on that number this time around.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!