UCF Knights vs Iowa State Cyclones Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 10/19/24

The Iowa State Cyclones are riding atop the Big 12 standings as they host the Knights of UCF, and we have your Central Florida vs Iowa State prediction. The Cyclones are playing like the best team in the conference, off to a 6-0 start and picking up a tough road win at Morgantown last week. UCF, on the other hand, is a mess right now, and they head to Ames with a 3-game losing streak. Ames, by the way, is one of the more difficult venues in college football, even if wildly underrated. This is a nasty spot for the Knights, and I think they will get clobbered. My Iowa State vs UCF pick is Iowa State -13.5.

Gaz Malzahn’s bunch was supposed to be a Big 12 contender this year, but they are a mess. They benched former Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson in favor of a freshmen last week, who then lasted 4 throws before moving on to a third quarterback. Good luck playing like that against Iowa State’s 15^th-ranked defense on the road. This offense hasn’t been relevant in a long while. Iowa State, on the other hand, has all the pieces working right now. Rocco Becht is having an excellent sophomore season, and he will have very little pressure on him from a toothless UCF pass rush. With a great defense in his corner, he won’t have to score a lot to cover this line. I think we are in a spot where Iowa State is the much better team, playing at home, against a team that has lost its direction completely. This should be a great spot for the Cyclones to roll. I would play this line if it moves beyond 14, but as long as it is below 14, I want to hammer it.

UCF at Iowa State Prediction: Iowa State -13.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.