Cincinnati Bearcats try to stop a two-game slide on the road against an Iowa State Cyclones team that just dropped its own game last week.
Cincinnati sits at 5-4 and enters on a two-game losing streak. Iowa State is 4-5 and carries a one-game losing streak into Saturday's kickoff at Jack Trice Stadium.
Game details
| When | Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET |
| Where | Jack Trice Stadium |
| TV | TNT |
| Line | Iowa State Cyclones -3 | O/U 58.5 (market view) |
| Cincinnati Bearcats record | 5-4 |
| Iowa State Cyclones record | 4-5 |
The matchup
Cincinnati has lost three of its last four, falling 24-31 to the Houston Cougars last week and 25-49 to the Utah Utes the week before that. Sandwiched in between was a 37-24 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but the Bearcats also dropped a 42-45 decision to the West Virginia Mountaineers and a 7-34 loss to the Arizona Wildcats earlier this season.
Iowa State comes in after a 31-42 loss to the Baylor Bears last week, but the week before that the Cyclones won a 51-49 shootout over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Iowa State also lost 3-39 to Arizona and 10-24 to the BYU Cougars, with a 45-42 win over West Virginia mixed in.
Key matchups
Cincinnati has scored 297 points this season against 265 allowed, while Iowa State has put up 263 against 260 allowed. Neither defense has been able to shut anyone down for long, and the recent scores back that up. Both teams have been in high-scoring games this fall, Iowa State's 51-49 win and 45-42 win and Cincinnati's 42-45 loss among them, which lines up with a total of 58.5 set for Saturday.
With both offenses capable of trading scores, whichever group finds a way to get stops in the fourth quarter figures to have the edge. Iowa State's defense let up 39 points to Arizona and 42 to Baylor, so there's no guarantee here either side slows the other down for four full quarters.
The pick
Iowa State is favored by 3.0 points with the market pointing to a 31-28 final. Iowa State gets this one at home off a 51-49 win over Oklahoma State two weeks back, which suggests the offense can still move the ball even in a down season.
Cincinnati's losing streak and its recent 25-49 loss to Utah are red flags, but the Bearcats did put up 37 on Texas Tech not long ago. Given how both teams have struggled to stop anybody, this one lines up as another track meet, with the home team getting the slight nod.
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bearcats | Wk10 L 24-31 vs Houston Cougars, Wk9 L 25-49 vs Utah Utes, Wk8 W 37-24 vs Texas Tech Red Raiders |
| Iowa State Cyclones | Wk10 L 31-42 vs Baylor Bears, Wk9 W 51-49 vs Oklahoma State Cowboys, Wk8 L 3-39 vs Arizona Wildcats |
Written by Cole Saturday, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores and box scores), and checked against that data before it published automatically. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.