Mike Leach has transformed the Washington State Cougars into a perennial contender in the Pac-12, but they haven’t had plenty of success in bowl season. The Cougars are 1-3 SU in bowl games under Leach. As for the Iowa State Cyclones, they are gunning for only the third nine-win finish in school history.
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Betting Preview for the Iowa State Cyclones vs Washington State Cougars College Football Game on December 28 2018
Where: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
When: Friday, December 28, 2018, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Iowa State Cyclones (+3.5) vs Washington State Cougars (-3.5) – view all 2018 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Iowa State Cyclones (8-4 Overall / 6-3 Conference)
The Cyclones are headed to their bowl matchup with Washington State in fine form, as they have won seven of their last nine games. A poor 1-3 SU this season heavily damaged their resume, but they had back-to-back wins against Top 25 wins back in October, taking down No. 25 Oklahoma State Cowboys and No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers in succession. The man to watch for the Cyclones is quarterback Brock Purdy, who took over the starting gig under center in the middle of the season and have done a solid job since, having led the team to a 6-1 SU record in games he’s started. Apart from Purdy, running back David Montgomery is another who could have a productive game against the Cougars. Montgomery is second in the Big 12 this year with 1,092 rushing yards to go with 12 touchdowns – tied for second in the conference. Washington State’s run defense isn’t something to scoff at, but Montgomery is regarded as a high-end NFL talent, so he should be able to pick up plenty of yards this coming Friday.
Iowa State is 5-5 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 games overall.
Betting on the Washington State Cougars (10-2 Overall / 7-2 Conference)
Here’s one important thing to know about the Cougars: they have the most prolific quarterback in the nation. That’s Gardner Minshew, who ended the regular season with 4,477 passing yards, along with 36 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. Minshew was sixth in this year’s Heisman voting, and is raring to showcase his talent in a bowl game setting. Minshew benefited greatly from having to play behind arguable the nation’s best offensive line. After all, he’s been sacked just 11 times this season, thanks to a pass protection unit that allowed the lowest sack allowed percentage with a 70.6 clip. That sounds like trouble for the Cyclones, who will likely be in deep trouble if they can’t get to Minshew. Iowa State let opponents in the regular season complete 60.67 of their passes. Minshew will have his usual talented toys to throw at downfield in receivers Dezmon Patmon and Davontavean Martin, who racked up 740 and 650 receiving yards, respectively, this year.
The Cougars are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
Washington State wins, 33-29.
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