MENU
The 24th ranked Iowa State Cyclones take on the 13th ranked Washington State Cougars in this year’s edition of the Alamo Bowl on Friday 12/2/8/18 at the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
The Cyclones finished their season strong with seven wins in their last eight games and their last game was a 27-24 victory over the Drake Bulldogs. On the other hand, the Cougars didn’t finish their season the way they wanted to as they suffered a 15-28 home loss against their rivals the Washington Huskies.
Finished Strong
The Iowa State Cyclones finished their season strong by winning seven out of their last eight games. These included wins over 6th ranked West Virginia and 25th ranked Oklahoma State. The Cyclones closed out with an 8-4 season record but surprisingly, they were just a mediocre 6-6 ATS this season. In the last five years, Iowa State has played just one bowl game, winning last year’s Liberty Bowl 21-20 with an upset of Memphis.
Freshman quarterback Brock Purdy started the season on the bench but took over the starting role in the team’s last eight games. As a starter, Purdy threw a total of 16 touchdowns with just five interceptions while averaging 241.9 passing yards per game. Purdy is 65 yards away from a 2,000 yard season. David Montgomery leads the Cyclones’ rushing attack with 1,092 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. Hakeem Butler has caught 51 passes and 9 touchdowns for Iowa State.
Iowa State vs Washington State 12/28/18
Moneyline Odds: Iowa State +132, Washington State -152
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/25/18
Betting Darlings
The Washington State Cougars fell one win short of earning a Rose Bowl spot but certainly, they have accomplished so much this season with a 10-2 record and with six wins in their last seven games. The Cougars were a betting darling this season as they were 10-2 ATS, the best in college football this year. However, the Cougars went 2-2 ATS in their last four games. This is Washington State’s first game versus the Big 12 in eight seasons and they have a record of 2-7 SU and 3-6 ATS against the Big 12.
Gardner Minshew has thrown for a total of 4,477 passing yards this season with 36 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while completing 70.6% of his passes. Minshew led the nation in passing yards per game at 373.3 yards. James Williams was the Cougars’ top ground option with 515 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Dezmon Patmon has caught for a total of 740 yards with four touchdowns.
Who Wins?
Iowa State finished the season with an 8-4 SU record. The Cyclones are 7-1 SU in their last eight games played. Washington State was 10-2 SU at the conclusion of the regular season. The Cougars are also 7-1 SU in their last eight games played.
Washington State’s Gardner Minshew led the nation in passing yards per game and against a Cyclones defense that is only ranked 62nd in the nation, Minshew may be in for a good night. Add the fact that Iowa State may be without defensive backs D’Andre Payne and Datrone Young because of injuries and we could see the Cougars’ passing game on full display on Friday.
Offensively, I’m not sure if Iowa State can keep up with Washington State here. The Cyclones are ranked 62nd in passing, 81st in points scored, 104th in total yards per game and 114th in rushing. The Cougars meanwhile are only the top passing team in the nation and have a quarterback who ranked in the Top 5 in touchdowns and completion rate. If indeed Payne and Young are unable to play, this could turn ugly for the Cyclones.
We’re picking the Washington State Cougars to beat the Iowa State Cyclones on 12/28/18.
Other Bets To Make
The Cyclones were 6-6 ATS during the regular season and are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. The Cougars were an impressive 10-2 ATS in regular season play and are 3-2 ATS in their last five games played.
Iowa State vs Washington State 12/28/18
Spread Odds: Iowa State +3 (-117), Washington State -3 (-103)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/25/18
Washington State is 0-5 ATS in their last five games against Big 12 teams although this is their first game against such teams in eight seasons. However, Iowa State is just 11-47 ATS in their last 58 games as underdogs and don’t forget that the Cougars were a nation-best 10-2 ATS this season. I think Washington State wins by at least a touchdown here.
Prediction: Washington State -3
The under was 7-4-1 in Iowa State’s dozen games played this season. The total has gone under in 14 out of the Cyclones’ last 20 games played. On the other hand, the over was 7-5 in Washington State’s 12 games played this season. The under is 4-2 in the Cougars’ last six games played.
Iowa State vs Washington State 12/28/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 56 -118, Under 56 -102
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/25/18
Washington has a high powered offense but the under was the play in three out of their last four games. On the other hand, the total has gone under in 14 out of the last 20 games of Iowa State with an averaged combined score of 47.25 points. The under is also 7-0-1 after the Cougars suffered a double-digit home loss in their previous game. The total has gone under in 4 out of the last five non-conference games of the Cyclones and the under is also 4-0 in their last four Friday games.
Prediction: Under 56
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 04/19/2023 NBA Odds and Prediction
New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers 04/17/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees 04/14/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans 04/12/2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Prediction
