Iowa State Cyclones vs UCF Knights Matchup

Check out our free UCF Knights vs Iowa State Cyclones pick and preview for this CFB week 8 game in Ames. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 8 CFB matchup.

At 7:30 ET, UCF and Iowa State will face off at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. The game will be broadcast on FS1, and Iowa State is coming in as the heavy favorite with a -13.5 point spread. The over/under line is currently 48.5 points. UCF has a 3-3 record this season, while Iowa State is undefeated at 6-0.

Knights vs. Cyclones Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: UCF Knights at Iowa State Cyclones
Where: Ames at Jack Trice Stadium
Date: Saturday, October 19th
Betting Odds IOWAST -13.5, UCF +432 | IOWAST -603 O/U 48.5

Knights Preview:

UCF enters Week 8 with a 3-3 record, ranked 47th in our CFB power rankings. They have a 60.3% chance of reaching bowl eligibility. On the road, they are 1-1, while their home record stands at 1-2 this season.

The Knights have been favored in three of their six games, going 1-2 as the favorite. Their average scoring margin is +7 points per game, and they are 2-3 against the spread this season.

The over/under line for this week is 48.5 points. UCF’s games have averaged 54.3 points, with an average line of 59.3 points. Their over/under record is 3-2, with their games typically going under by an average of 6.1 points.

Knights Offense Breakdown

UCF’s offense has been driven by their run game, ranking 3rd in the nation with 268 rushing yards per game on 48.2 attempts per game. RJ Harvey leads the team with 694 rushing yards, averaging 6 yards per carry, and has scored 9 touchdowns. Overall, UCF is averaging 30.7 points per game, and they are converting 45.8% of their third downs, which ranks 28th nationally.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson has thrown for 1,012 yards, with 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has a passer rating of 96. UCF is 87th in the nation in passing yards per game, averaging 205.8 yards. Kobe Hudson leads the receivers with 477 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Knights Team Defense

UCF's defense is ranked 16th in the nation against the run, allowing just 93.5 rushing yards per game on 27 attempts, the 7th fewest in the country. In their recent game, they held Cincinnati to 97 rushing yards on 32 carries. However, UCF's pass defense has struggled, giving up 246 passing yards per game, ranking 119th nationally, and allowing a 69.9% completion rate, which ranks 156th.

Against Cincinnati, UCF's defense allowed 19 points, giving up 241 passing yards and one touchdown, while also recording two interceptions. On average, UCF is allowing 23.7 points per game this season.

Cyclones Preview:

The Knights have been favored in three of their six games, going 1-2 as the favorite. Their average scoring margin is +7 points per game, and they are 2-3 against the spread this season.

Cyclones Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 8, Iowa State’s offense is averaging 30.7 points per game, placing them 38th in the nation. However, they rank 18th in our offensive power rankings. Their third-down conversion rate is impressive at 48.7%, ranking 15th nationally. They also rank 23rd in completion percentage, connecting on 66.7% of their passes. On the ground, they average 174.5 rushing yards per game on 37.3 attempts.

Quarterback Rocco Becht has thrown for 1,438 yards with a passer rating of 108. He has 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, completing 66.5% of his passes. Jaylin Noel leads the receiving corps with 528 yards and three touchdowns on 29 catches. Jaylon Jackson is the leading rusher with 314 yards, averaging 5 yards per carry.

Cyclones Team Defense

Iowa State's defense has been a strong point this season, ranking 4th nationally by allowing just 11 points per game. They also rank 8th in passing yards allowed, giving up only 145.7 yards per game, and have held opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 47.8, the second-lowest in the country.

In their recent game against West Virginia, Iowa State’s defense allowed 16 points and gave up 356 total yards, including 150 rushing yards and 206 passing yards. They also forced two interceptions in the game.

Knights vs Cyclones Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Through their last ten road contests, the UCF Knights offense has averaged 24 points per game while allowing an average of 32. UCF posted an overall record of 3-7 while going 3-7 ATS.
When looking at their past ten home matchups, Iowa State has an ATS record of 7-3 while averaging 25 per game. The team went 7-3 overall in these games.
Through their last five games as the betting underdog, the UCF Knights have a strong record vs the spread going 4-1. Their straight up mark in these contests is 2-3.
The last ten games that Iowa State was favored, they have an ATS mark of 7-3 while going 8-2 straight up.