Iowa State Cyclones at UNLV Running Rebels Betting Pick
The No. 14 ranked Iowa State Cyclones are on the road as they are set to meet the UNLV Runnin Rebels in a Saturday night showdown. This is the first time these two teams have met this season.
Iowa State Cyclones Preview
The No. 14 ranked team has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season. After scooting by with a win in their opener to Northern Iowa, and it was a tight win 16-10, they turned around a week later and suffered a defeat to in-state rival the Iowa Hawkeyes 27-17.
Many are beginning to question how good this Cyclone team is, and as of now, it’s okay to put the label on as just an okay team. They have yet to live up to the early season expectations, and while their talent and experience is still there, Big 12 conference play is right around the corner.
This is just the type of game that the team can reset and find a way to get back on track. UNLV has really struggled on the offensive end, and it has had a hard time stopping teams on the other end of the ball giving up points in a flurry.
Star running back and potential Heisman candidate Breece Hall has really struggled out of the gate, but this is the type of game to get the leader going. He hasn’t been all that bad in the first two games, but the team needs more if they want to lock up the Big 12 this season.
UNLV Runnin Rebels Preview
Not much has gone right for the Runnin Rebels this season, and this process continues to be trending that way. UNLV is 31.5 point underdogs in this game, and that’s even playing at home. Second-year head coach Marcu Arroyo is trying all options to help this team find a win in the early going, but patience and time is what this veteran group needs.
The good news for UNLV is that the Cyclones have been really bad on the offensive end of the ball. Struggling to move the ball efficiently and Breece Hall’s early struggles have made the ground game a lost cause in the game plan. Quarterback Brock Purdy might be headed to the bench as he has yet to record a touchdown to 4 turnovers.
Despite being big underdogs, Iowa State has yet to meet the expectations to start the year. UNLV can play an aggressive football game and force pressure on a team that doesn’t have an idea yet of who the starter will be.
This could be a challenge for both teams, and while the Cyclones are facing a ton of question marks, this is the type of game that they need to turn things around and get back on track.
These two teams have met five times in the program’s histories dating as far back as 1995. UNLV got the best of the Cyclones in their most recent match-up back in 2008, winning 34-31. Iowa State is the 10th highest-ranked team to face the Runnin Rebels in Las Vegas, and the highest-ranked opponent since 2015 when they last played the No. 13 ranked UCLA Bruins.
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