Iowa State Cyclones vs Colorado Buffaloes Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 10/11/25

After their first loss of the season against Cincinnati, the Iowa State Cyclones will prepare to travel and go up against the Colorado Buffaloes. Iowa State got off to a bad start against Cincinnati. They trailed late in the second quarter 31-7, but the Cyclones were able to give a comeback effort behind 314 passing yards and 2 touchdowns from Rocco Becht. In the end, it was not enough to keep Iowa State undefeated in the Big 12.

Colorado is currently on a 2-game losing streak. Their last 2 losses have been a 24-21 defeat at home against BYU and 35-21 loss on the road against TCU. The Buffaloes have now fallen to the bottom of the Big 12, losing all 3 of their games played in conference. Quarterback Kaidon Salter has been solid under coach Deion Sanders, throwing for 901 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions this season. The rushing attack has not been superb, ranking 87th in the nation at 143.8 yards per game. The team’s leading rusher is Micah Welch, who has 250 yards and 1 touchdown on 52 attempts this season. 

After last week’s letdown, this is a game the Cyclones need to have to stay pace in the Big 12. It is a bit surprising that this game sees the Cyclones as only a field goal favorite. There was a similar narrative last week when the Cyclones were slight underdogs on the road against Cincinnati. While Cincinnati and Colorado are both talented Big 12 opponents, there is a noticeable difference in trend between these two teams. While Cincinnati is a team on the rise, Colorado is trending in the opposite direction, as things have not gone well to start this season. The magic that the Buffaloes had last season seems to have faded early on this season due to inconsistent quarterback play and failure to slow down their opponent.

Colorado ranks 92nd in the FBS in yards per game at 355.7 yards and 106th in the FBS in yards allowed per game (398.8). They have lacked the ability to create turnovers with -3 turnover rate, while Iowa State’s defense has excelled with a +4 turnover margin. Finally, a concern for Iowa State could be that its defense allowed 38 points last week, but the Cyclones defense is equipped for a bounce-back opportunity against a below-average Colorado offense. Iowa State ranks 31st in scoring, only allowing an average of just 18.2 points per game. Before last week, Iowa State’s defense was able to hold a high-power Arizona offense to only 14 points. Iowa State has shown it is the better team this season, and Saturday is a great chance for the ‘Clones to bounce back with a win on the road.

Iowa State vs Colorado prediction: Iowa State Cyclones -3 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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