Kansas State vs. Iowa State updated football picks: What the oddsmakers say

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Two contenders in the Big 12 kick off the 2025 college football season as Kansas State and Iowa State renew the “Farmageddon” rivalry in Week 0 action on Saturday. Let’s take a look at the latest predictions for the game from the oddsmakers.
Iowa State checks into the 2025 season as the Big 12 regular season champ and the runner-up in the conference title game a year ago, coming off a 9-2 mark against unranked opponents and went plus-114 in point differential in that time.
Kansas State is one of several contenders in the Big 12 this fall, along with the Cyclones, going plus-97 a year ago and boasting a 2-1 mark against ranked opposition, returning Avery Johnson, one of college football’s better dual-threat players, at quarterback.
Both the Wildcats and Cyclones come into this season as genuine contenders in the competitive Big 12 title picture, so a Week 0 conference loss in this game could prove damaging to those hopes, putting some early pressure on both these teams.
Let’s take a look at the latest predictions for Kansas State vs. Iowa State in this Week 0 college football game, according to the oddsmakers.
Kansas State vs. Iowa State football picks, odds
Heading into kickoff, the books are expecting a close game, but with the Wildcats getting a slight advantage over the Cyclones on the Emerald Isle.
Kansas State is a narrow 3.5 point favorite against Iowa State, according to the updated game lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook for the matchup.
FanDuel lists the total at 50.5 points for the game.
And it set the moneyline odds for Kansas State at -152 and for Iowa State at +126 to win outright.
Kansas State: -3.5 (-104)
Iowa State: +3.5 (-118)
Over 50.5 points: -115
Under 50.5 points: -105
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Iowa State vs. Kansas State trends
Kansas State was 4-9 (30.8%) against the spread last season ...
Iowa State was 8-6 ATS (57.1%) a year ago in all games ...
Kansas State is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games ...
The total went over in 4 of Iowa State’s last 6 games ...
K-State was 2-1 (66.7%) against the spread against ranked teams last season ...
ISU is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games against KSU ...
Iowa State was 2-1 ATS (66.7%) against ranked teams in 2024 ...
The Wildcats were 4-6 against the spread (40%) against conference teams in ‘24 ...
The Cyclones went 5-5 (50%) ATS vs. conference opponents last fall ...
Kansas State was 4-8 (33.3%) against the spread as the favorite last season ...
Iowa State was 2-0 ATS as the underdog in 2024 ...
K-State is 1-4 against the spread in its last 5 games against Big 12 opponents ...
Iowa State is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games as the underdog ...
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Spread consensus picks, updated score prediction
A plurality of bettors are expecting the Wildcats to take care of the Cyclones and secure the first victory of the 2025 college football season, according to the spread consensus picks for the game.
Kansas State is getting 53 percent of bets to cover the narrow point spread in a victory.
The other 47 percent of wagers project Iowa State will either beat the Wildcats outright in an upset, or will keep the final margin to a field goal or under in a loss.
The game’s implied score suggests a very narrow victory for the Wildcats.
When taking the point spread and total into consideration, it’s implied that Kansas State will defeat Iowa State by a projected score of 27 to 24.
College Football HQ updated game prediction: Kansas State -3.5
Why? Iowa State can still likely move the ball on the ground, but the loss of its two thousand-yard receiving studs will cut into that offensive production, a concern Kansas State doesn’t have returning its key contributors on that side of the ball and boasting a solid front seven that can contest the Cyclones on the ground.
More: Kansas State vs. Iowa State prediction: Who wins, and why?
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How to watch Kansas State vs. Iowa State
When: Sat., Aug. 23
Where: Dublin, Ireland
Time: 12 p.m. Eastern
TV: ESPN network
More: College football games today: Week 0 schedule for Saturday
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.