Iowa State football: Early betting lines pit Cyclones as big underdogs

One of the biggest Las Vegas sportsbooks don’t have much faith in Iowa State football this season, posting them as near double-digit underdogs in a couple of select games.

The Des Moines Register posted three games that feature the Cyclones as heavy underdogs and one that’s a “pick ’em” — a team that most pundits believe will finish worse than Iowa State in the Big 12. And it’s not Kansas.

"Sept. 13: at Iowa (Iowa favored by 9½)Nov. 1: vs. Oklahoma (Oklahoma favored by 22½)Nov. 29: vs. West Virginia (pick ’em)"

Iowa State was actually a four-point favorite against Iowa in the preseason last year, but the line eventually switched over to favor the Hawkeyes after the Cyclones dropped their season opener against Northern Iowa.

I still believed the Cyclones should have been favored to the chagrin of many Hawkeye fans, but they got the last laugh by holding on to their victory in Ames.

That line in Iowa probably won’t waver much unless Iowa State has a 2-0 start. Expect them to be underdogs by about 10-14 points.

However, I don’t believe that line against Oklahoma is fair, especially in Ames. The Sooners have only been able to blowout the Cyclones by over three touchdowns once in Jack Trice Stadium since 1989, and that was a 53-7 loss in the 2003 season.

That year, Oklahoma went to the Big 12 Championship Game with a 12-0 record and loss to Kansas State. However, they still made the BCS National Championship Game and eventually lost to LSU, 21-14.

Having an even line against West Virginia is fair for now, but anything can change that far down the road.