Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Iowa State Betting Odds, Picks & Lines
Iowa State (8-3 SU, 6-5 ATS) will make their debut appearance in the major bowl games on Saturday when they take on Oregon (4-2 SU, 3-3 ATS) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. While the Cyclones are playing their first Fiesta Bowl, the Ducks have done it twice before, winning both times, against Kansas State in 2013 and versus Colorado in 2003. Both teams are coming to the Fiesta bowl after having reached their conference championship games. Two weeks ago, the Ducks upset USC to win their fourth Pac-12 Championship after getting there as a stand-in for Washington while the Cyclones lost the Big 12 Championship game to Oklahoma.
Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Iowa State Betting Line Movement
Iowa State started the week as -4 favorites and the line has slightly moved in their favor since, standing at -4.5 at the moment. The total also saw some changes, opening at 57 and ending at 58.5 after some early action on OVER.
Notes On Oregon
The Ducks didn’t exactly excel during the regular season, but they still got a shot at a championship after the Pac-12 North winner, Washington, was forced to withdraw to the Covid issues. They made the most of the chance that was given to them with a strong showing against the Trojans but we shouldn’t overlook the inconsistency that they have demonstrated throughout the season. Right before the championship matchup, they suffered two consecutive defeats at the hands of Oregon State and California.
It seems that Oregon didn’t adapt well to the shortened season but against USC the offense was efficient and the defense stepped up big time holding the Trojans to only 38 yards on the ground and forcing 3 interceptions. QB Tyler Shough had a difficult task of replacing Justin Herbert this season, yet he managed to put together a solid campaign throwing for 1,480 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions on a 62.7% completion. The rushing game has been a powerful weapon for this team, but on Saturday they’ll likely be without their top RB CJ Verdell. The defense struggled at times, giving up 27.3 points and 409.5 yards per game. However, the Ducks have plenty of talent on this side of the ball, with DE Kayvon Thibodeaux who is a future first-round pick, and First Team All-Pac 12 defensive back Mykael Wright.
Notes On The Iowa State
Unlike some of the more established programs we are used to watching in major bowl games year after year, Iowa State will see Saturday matchup as a historic opportunity to raise their national profile and take their program to the higher level. They are still without a conference title and will make only a 16th bowl appearance.
Two weeks ago, they lost the Big 12 championship game mainly because Oklahoma’s big early lead forced them to abandon their running game and try to catch up through the air. This whole season, the Cyclones’ offense relied mostly on the star RB Breece Hall who was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year after amassing 1,436 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. His form dipped a bit towards the end of the season as he failed to run for more than 100 yards in the last three games. Dual-threat QB Brock Purdy has also been a big part of Iowa State’s successful running game with 343 rushing yards and 4 TDs on the ground this season. The Cyclones’ fans will expect a big game from the duo on Saturday as Oregon rush defense is not on a very high level, ranking 58th in the nation.
Fiesta Bowl: Betting Pick: Iowa State -4.5
Although Oregon probably features more talent across the board, Iowa State is way more experienced and should be able to dictate the tempo of the game to suit their preferred style. Matt Campbell has done a great job with his team this season and the Cyclones will enter the game ready, prepared, and extremely motivated.
