The Bowling Green Falcons and the Iowa State Cyclones meet Saturday in college football action from Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. Here’s an Iowa State vs Bowling Green prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Iowa State vs Bowling Green pick.
Bowling Green Falcons Betting Preview
The Falcons took a tough loss versus Tarleton State in their opener this year. Bowling Green was down 17-7 by the end of the first half and couldn’t make the comeback in an eventual 20-13 finish. QB Jay Kastantin was 24-of-30 for 262 yards, while leading rusher Austyn Dendy had 15 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown in the losing effort for Bowling Green.
In game two versus Nebraska, the Falcons were pummeled in the first half, entering the break with a 35-0 deficit. Bowling Green was outscored 21-7 in the fourth quarter and ended up with a blowout loss 56-7. Kastantin was 10-of-16 for 84 yards, one TD and one pick this time and Nakai Amachree led the rushing attack with 13 carries for 53 yards for the Falcons.
Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview
Over on the Iowa State side, they kicked off their season with a pretty routine matchup versus Southeast Missouri State. The Cyclones were up 28-7 by the end of the first half, eventually scoring in every quarter during a 38-10 blowout victory. QB Jaylen Raynor was 8-of-16 for 184 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing in a pair of scores among his seven carries for 32 yards.
In their big matchup with Iowa last weekend, the Cyclones had a tense battle on their hands. Iowa State entered the final quarter with a 13-10 lead but ultimately fell 16-13 in a heartbreaker outcome. Raynor was 10-of-19 for 117 yards and a TD, while Aiden Flora had 19 carries for 89 yards. Omari Hayes had three catches for 39 yards to lead the receivers in the losing effort.
Bowling Green Falcons @ Iowa State Cyclones Betting Trends: Week 3
Iowa State Cyclones Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 3, Isaac Terrell ranks T5th amongst FBS players for sacks (3.0) this season.
Bowling Green Falcons Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 3, Nakai Amachree ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Iowa State ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Iowa State ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q3 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Bowling Green ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q3 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Bowling Green ranks T136th among FBS teams for points per game this season (10.0).
Iowa State vs Bowling Green Prediction
I’ll lean toward Iowa State. The Cyclones are coming off a tough road loss to Iowa and this is a good bounce-back opportunity. Iowa State put up just nine first downs and a 4-of-13 success rate on third-down tries in last weekend’s loss, but the defense played well overall despite no takeaways. That unit gave up 284 total yards (93 rushing) and 13 first downs in all.
As for Bowling Green, they realistically weren’t going to hang with Nebraska in a road matchup last weekend, and that’s exactly what happened. The Falcons posted just 169 total yards (84 passing), 3.5 yards per play, nine first downs, 2-of-12 on third downs and two turnovers. The defense was hit with 546 yards (264 rushing), 8.3 yards per play and 28 first downs. Again though, it wasn’t much of a surprise outcome. This one’s not going to get a whole lot easier.