The Iowa State Cyclones and Colorado Buffaloes will play in the Big 12 on Saturday. Iowa State took its first loss of the season last time out, losing on the road to Cincinnati. They will try to rebound against a Colorado team that has struggled under Deion Sanders this season. Here, I break down this matchup and make my Iowa State vs Colorado prediction below.
Our Iowa State vs Colorado Pick
- Pick: Iowa State -2.5
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Iowa State Cyclones vs Colorado Buffaloes
- Date & Time: Saturday, October 11, 2025, 3:30 p.m. EDT
- Venue: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
- Broadcast: ESPN
Iowa State vs Colorado Odds
| Betting Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| Spread | Iowa State -2.5 |
| Moneyline | Iowa State -140, Colorado +120 |
| Total | 52.5 |
Key Storylines
- Quarterback Play: Iowa State’s Rocco Becht has been efficient this season, throwing for 1,417 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He did not play up to his usual standard last week in Iowa State’s first loss of the season to Cincinnati. It will be interesting to see if he can bounce back from that showing. Colorado’s Kaidon Salter has 901 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, and five rushing touchdowns. He was benched for a brief portion of this season but has the starting job back for now.
- Coaching Situation: Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is recovering from a recent surgery but is expected to coach during this game. Sanders and his team have struggled this season without Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and NFL draftee Shedeur Sanders to carry them.
- Conference Standings: Colorado is 0-3 in Big 12 play so far this season. Their two wins this year have come against FBS newcomer Delaware and Wyoming. Iowa State is 2-1 in the Big 12 and will try to bounce back from their first conference loss of the season last week.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Iowa State is 3-2-1 against the spread for the season.
- Colorado is 2-3-1 against the spread on the year.
- The Cyclones have gone 3-3 in the over/under market heading into this contest.
- Four of Colorado’s first six games have stayed under their totals this season.
- Iowa State is 1-1 on the road this season.
- Colorado is 2-2 at home for the year.
- Colorado leads the all-time series between these programs 49-15-1. This is the first meeting between these teams since 2010.
Iowa State vs Colorado Model Projection
- Score Projection: Iowa State 28 – Colorado 20
- Win Probability: Iowa State 65%, Colorado 35%
Final Thoughts
Colorado is at home and they will be desperate to grab their first win in the Big 12 this season. The problem is that Deion Sanders’ team just isn’t very good this year. I expect the Cyclones to bounce back nicely from their first loss of the season last week and for Iowa State to cover the number as a slight favorite on the road. My projections have Iowa State winning this game by a touchdown or so in a game where we will learn a lot about both of these teams.
