This week's picks

Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State Prediction and Pick, Week 9 2026

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Data updatedOct 31, 2026
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Picks two teams at random. Any FBS team can come up.

How we picked it

How we picked it

Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.

Where the game is won

Where the game is won

Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.

Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.

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Oklahoma State at Iowa State

Week 9, Sat, Oct 31, 7:00 PM ET, Jack Trice Stadium.

The numbers say: Oklahoma State, 57% to win.

The game

KickoffSat, Oct 31, 7:00 PM ET
TVFS1
WhereJack Trice Stadium
Weather62°, cloudy, wind 7 mph
LineOklahoma State −9.5, total 57.5
Line movementTotal opened 56.5, up 1.
SeriesOklahoma State leads 34–22–3
Last meetingIowa State 20–13 in 2025

The ratings and the line

MarginWin chanceTotal
SP+Oklahoma State by 11.179%58
PRIMEOklahoma State by 6.468%
EloIowa State69%
The lineOklahoma State −9.557.5, opened 56.5

Margins include home field. SP+ is Bill Connelly's rating; Sources has PRIME and Elo. Line and total from DraftKings, as of Fri, Oct 30, 7:43 PM ET.

Who wins, Oklahoma State or Iowa State?

The numbers say: Oklahoma State. 59% chance to win

Which matchups decide Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State?

SP+ and PRIME take Oklahoma State, but Elo has Iowa State. Oklahoma State's best matchup is its offense, 5th in yards per play, against Iowa State's defense at 95th. Iowa State's way back in is its 3rd down defense, 33rd in 3rd downs allowed, against Oklahoma State's 3rd down offense at 93rd. We left out the edges built on Connor Moberly, who's out.

Oklahoma State with the ball

Iowa State with the ball

Who's out for Oklahoma State and Iowa State?

Oklahoma State

Iowa State

How Oklahoma State and Iowa State compare, in charts

Each chart puts all 138 FBS teams on two stats; Oklahoma State and Iowa State are lit. Dashed lines are the FBS averages, and up and right is better. Ranks in parentheses. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How Oklahoma State's and Iowa State's players compare

The scatter charts show the top 40 FBS players at the position by both stats combined, plus the players lit here. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better. Ranks are among every FBS player at the position with enough snaps. Takeaways are interceptions plus fumble recoveries. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How do SP+, PRIME and Elo rate Oklahoma State and Iowa State?

On a neutral field, SP+ has Oklahoma State 13.6 points better (23rd to 76th). PRIME also has Oklahoma State ahead, by 8.9. Elo, which only sees results, has Iowa State ahead (60th to 76th).

Oklahoma StateIowa State
SP+ overall12.4 (23rd)-1.2 (76th)
SP+ offense36.1 (11th)23.6 (93rd)
SP+ defense24.1 (52nd)25.2 (60th)
SP+ special teams0.4 (11th)0.4 (11th)
PRIME net11.8 (22nd)2.9 (54th)
PRIME offense11.38 (8th)1.28 (52nd)
PRIME defense-0.49 (72nd)0.50 (64th)
PRIME SOS-0.4 (48th)3.1 (15th)
PRIME SOR1.4 (32nd)0.0 (71st)
Elo1463 (76th)1551 (60th)

Opponent-adjusted power ratings. These drive the projection.

Who's better once you adjust for the schedule?

Oklahoma State's offense ranks 37th in adjusted EPA per play, and the Iowa State defense it faces ranks 83rd in EPA per play allowed. Iowa State's offense ranks 88th against Oklahoma State's 62nd-ranked defense. The matchup that decides it is Oklahoma State's offense against Iowa State's defense. The biggest edge on the board is Oklahoma State's efficiency: 9th in adjusted success rate, against Iowa State's 76th-ranked defense. That's a mismatch.

Oklahoma StateIowa State
EPA per play (adjusted)+0.16 (37th)+0.07 (88th)
EPA per pass (adjusted)+0.25 (28th)+0.14 (103rd)
EPA per rush (adjusted)+0.07 (58th)+0.07 (60th)
Success rate (adjusted)48.5% (9th)39.4% (96th)
Success rate, standard downs (adjusted)52.0% (10th)45.2% (95th)
Success rate, passing downs (adjusted)32.5% (26th)28.8% (106th)
Explosiveness (adjusted)0.88 (137th)0.96 (24th)
Line yards per carry (adjusted)3.12 (21st)2.99 (53rd)
Open-field yards per carry (adjusted)1.13 (68th)1.32 (17th)
EPA per play allowed (adjusted)+0.09 (62nd)+0.13 (83rd)
EPA per pass allowed (adjusted)+0.20 (75th)+0.22 (83rd)
EPA per rush allowed (adjusted)+0.03 (44th)+0.07 (78th)
Success rate allowed (adjusted)41.9% (71st)42.1% (76th)
Explosiveness allowed (adjusted)0.91 (25th)0.95 (100th)
Line yards allowed per carry (adjusted)2.93 (59th)2.98 (74th)
Open-field yards allowed per carry (adjusted)0.97 (23rd)1.25 (99th)

The same efficiency numbers, adjusted for the offenses and defenses each team has faced (CollegeFootballData.com). A good number against a soft schedule shrinks; one against a hard schedule grows.

Who's more efficient, Oklahoma State or Iowa State?

Oklahoma State is better throwing (24th in EPA per pass) than running (89th). Iowa State's pass defense ranks 92nd, so that's a mismatch. Iowa State is better running (74th in EPA per rush) than throwing (96th). Oklahoma State's run defense ranks 46th, so the defense has the better of it.

Oklahoma StateIowa State
EPA per play+0.20 (40th)+0.09 (88th)
EPA per pass+0.39 (24th)+0.12 (96th)
EPA per rush+0.05 (89th)+0.09 (74th)
EPA per 3rd-down play+0.02 (135th)+0.23 (118th)
EPA per play allowed+0.10 (73rd)+0.13 (89th)
EPA per pass allowed+0.23 (87th)+0.24 (92nd)
EPA per rush allowed0.00 (46th)+0.07 (70th)
EPA per 3rd-down play allowed+0.40 (72nd)+0.35 (52nd)

Expected points added per play, from CollegeFootballData.com. EPA measures how much each play changes the points a team can expect from the drive. Zero is break-even; +0.20 is very good. Not adjusted for opponents.

Who scores more, Oklahoma State or Iowa State?

Oklahoma State outscores FBS opponents by 16.3 a game, and Iowa State by 1.8. Oklahoma State's offense ranks 8th in scoring, and the Iowa State defense it faces ranks 69th in points allowed. Iowa State's offense ranks 90th against Oklahoma State's 64th-ranked defense. The matchup that decides it is Oklahoma State's offense against Iowa State's defense.

Oklahoma StateIowa State
Points scored40.0 (8th)25.9 (90th)
Points allowed23.7 (64th)24.1 (69th)

Per game, FBS opponents only.

Which offense has the edge?

Oklahoma State's best matchup is its run game: its offense ranks 26th in yards per carry, and Iowa State's defense ranks 93rd in yards per carry allowed. That's a mismatch. Iowa State has no clear edge here. Its best is SUPLEX, 70th, against a defense ranked 79th in SUPLEX allowed.

Oklahoma StateIowa State
Pass yards / game342.7 (3rd)178.6 (120th)
Rush yards / game197.4 (34th)172.9 (59th)
Yards per play7.67 (5th)5.96 (88th)
Yards per carry5.88 (26th)5.17 (70th)
Yards per attempt9.60 (9th)7.49 (77th)
Completion %65.6% (54th)62.3% (76th)
Success rate51.5% (10th)39.7% (108th)
Explosive play rate17.0% (5th)12.8% (50th)
3rd down conversion36.7% (93rd)31.6% (124th)
Sack rate (taken)3.1% (20th)6.7% (94th)
INT rate (thrown)2.4% (71st)2.4% (71st)
SUPLEX74.8% (1st)56.5% (70th)

Per game and per play, from play-by-play.

Which defense has the edge?

Oklahoma State's defense is best placed to get off the field on third down: it ranks 42nd in 3rd down conversions allowed, and Iowa State's offense is bottom-20 in 3rd down conversion rate (124th). That's a mismatch. Iowa State's defense is best placed to get off the field on third down: it ranks 33rd in 3rd down conversions allowed, and Oklahoma State's offense is middle of the pack in 3rd down conversion rate (93rd). That's a mismatch.

Oklahoma StateIowa State
Pass yards allowed / game233.0 (103rd)223.4 (93rd)
Rush yards allowed / game143.9 (62nd)166.1 (93rd)
Yards per play allowed5.73 (70th)6.24 (95th)
Yards per carry allowed4.18 (29th)5.22 (93rd)
Yards per attempt allowed8.00 (90th)7.67 (83rd)
Success rate allowed42.0% (70th)41.0% (62nd)
Explosive plays allowed10.0% (37th)10.5% (58th)
3rd downs allowed35.0% (42nd)33.7% (33rd)
Sack rate (generated)6.9% (51st)4.7% (106th)
INT rate (generated)3.4% (30th)1.0% (128th)
SUPLEX allowed54.9% (79th)53.3% (64th)

What opponents managed against them.

Who wins up front?

Oklahoma State has the better number in 10 of 12. The biggest gap is big Uglies: offensive line, where Oklahoma State ranks 14th and Iowa State 98th.

Oklahoma StateIowa State
Big Uglies: offensive line58.7 (14th)46.5 (98th)
Big Uglies: defensive front53.6 (41st)48.8 (79th)
Line yards per carry3.18 (45th)2.97 (86th)
Line yards allowed per carry2.87 (64th)3.02 (85th)
Second-level yards per carry1.17 (40th)1.14 (56th)
Open-field yards per carry1.20 (69th)1.63 (25th)
Stuff rate (runs stopped at or behind the line)15.1% (31st)21.3% (112th)
Stuff rate (defense)20.5% (45th)17.1% (89th)
Power success (short yardage)71.9% (72nd)60.9% (128th)
Power success allowed58.3% (11th)62.5% (23rd)
Front-seven havoc allowed5.4% (9th)8.9% (64th)
Front-seven havoc9.6% (67th)10.3% (51st)

The lines. Big Uglies is our rating for each offensive line and each defensive front: adjusted line yards (30%), stuff rate (20%), power success (15%), sack rate (20%) and front-seven havoc (15%), against every FBS team. 50 is average, and every 10 points is a standard deviation. Line stats from CollegeFootballData.com, garbage time out.

Who wins the turnover battle?

Iowa State is +0.3 in turnover margin a game and Oklahoma State is −0.1. At about five points a turnover, that's roughly a 2-point edge for Iowa State. Turnover margin rarely holds from one month to the next, so don't count on it. Fumble recoveries are mostly luck, and Iowa State's takeaways lean on them (0.9 of 1.1 a game).

Oklahoma StateIowa State
Interceptions thrown / game0.86 (84th)0.57 (40th)
Fumbles lost / game0.71 (99th)0.29 (20th)
Giveaways / game1.57 (107th)0.86 (25th)
Interceptions / game1.00 (22nd)0.29 (119th)
Fumbles recovered / game0.43 (69th)0.86 (12th)
Takeaways / game1.43 (41st)1.14 (67th)
Turnover margin / game-0.1 (77th)+0.3 (47th)

Per game, from play-by-play.

Which team has more talent?

Oklahoma State has the more talented roster (65th in the 247Sports talent composite; Iowa State is 68th). Oklahoma State also plays further above its talent: +11.8 points of SP+ beyond what its roster predicts, to Iowa State's −1.6.

Oklahoma StateIowa State
Talent composite672.7 (65th)669.6 (68th)
Blue-chip ratio7.5% (82nd)6.1% (90th)
Players on roster113 (51st)126 (5th)
Rated by 247Sports80 (60th)82 (52nd)
5-star players0 (37th)1 (24th)
4-star players6 (73rd)4 (88th)
3-star players71 (23rd)73 (18th)
Below 3-star3 (53rd)4 (38th)
2026 transfers in54 (2nd)48 (5th)
Transfer share67.5% (6th)58.5% (12th)
SP+ vs. talent+11.8 (14th)-1.6 (76th)
Returning production0.0% (132nd)1.7% (131st)
Returning passing production0.0% (109th)3.0% (104th)
Returning rushing production0.0% (113th)4.5% (109th)
Returning receiving production0.0% (133rd)-0.2% (134th)
2026 recruiting class (national rank)69 (69th)54 (54th)
Recruiting rank, last four classes58.0 (59th)50.8 (49th)

247Sports team talent composite and 2026 transfer portal class. Star counts cover only the players 247Sports rates, not walk-ons, so they add up to less than the full roster. Ranks are out of all 138 FBS teams.

Which roster costs more?

Oklahoma State's roster is valued at $22.2M, Iowa State's at $20.8M. Oklahoma State also plays better per dollar: +5.0 points of SP+ above what its payroll predicts, to −7.2 for Iowa State.

Oklahoma StateIowa State
Roster value$22.2M (35th)$20.8M (47th)
Roster cost per win$4.4M (21st)$6.9M (56th)
Projected wins per $1M0.38 (12th)0.20 (57th)
SP+ vs. payroll+5.0 (16th)-7.2 (62nd)

NIL roster value from The NIL Standard (power-conference teams plus Boise State and Oregon State). Ranks are out of 70 teams with a valuation.

Where did each team's wins come from?

Oklahoma State is +1.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is coaching (+1.7). Iowa State is −0.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is schedule (−0.5).

Oklahoma StateIowa State
RECEIPTS (total)+1.5 (30th)-0.5 (89th)
Schedule RECEIPTS-0.1 (92nd)-0.5 (115th)
Roster RECEIPTS-0.0 (71st)-0.0 (71st)
Coach RECEIPTS+1.7 (9th)-0.1 (73rd)
Luck RECEIPTS-0.1 (73rd)+0.2 (58th)

Where the wins came from. Every team starts as a .500 team. Then each win (or loss) goes to the schedule, the roster, the coaching or luck, and the four add up to the real record. Wins above or below a .500 team.

Oklahoma State at Iowa State: questions people ask

Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State prediction: who will win?

The numbers pick Oklahoma State, 59% chance to win. SP+ and PRIME agree; Elo has Iowa State. Oklahoma State's best matchup is its offense, 5th in yards per play, against Iowa State's defense at 95th.

Where can I watch Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State, and what time is it?

Sat, Oct 31, 7:00 PM ET at Jack Trice Stadium. It's on FS1.

What's the projected score of Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State?

SP+ projects Oklahoma State 35–23. That's from this season's SP+ offense, defense and special teams ratings, with home field worth 2.5 points.

What's the line for Oklahoma State at Iowa State?

DraftKings has Oklahoma State −9.5, total 57.5. The numbers pick winners, not bets.

What's the Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State series history?

Oklahoma State leads 34–22–3. Last meeting: Iowa State won 20–13 in 2025.

Who are the players to watch in Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State?

Oklahoma State: Drew Mestemaker (2,338 passing yards), Caleb Hawkins (712 rushing yards) and Wyatt Young (643 receiving yards). Iowa State: Jaylen Raynor (1,119 passing yards), Aiden Flora (716 rushing yards) and Omari Hayes (237 receiving yards). Season totals through Oct 24, 2026.

Who are the quarterbacks in Oklahoma State at Iowa State?

Oklahoma State's is Drew Mestemaker (2,338 passing yards this season); Iowa State's is Jaylen Raynor (1,119 passing yards this season).

More on this game

Numbers through the games of Oct 24, 2026. SP+ as of Oct 27, 2026. Updated every week.

Oklahoma State and Iowa State: team pages with every stat and national rank. Compare any two teams.