Our side
MoneylineISU to win
ours 80%
Projected score
19–31
WVU – ISU
2026-10-03 · kickoff TBD
Jack Trice Stadium · Ames, IA
B12 game
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
Series
Iowa State and West Virginia split 12 (6–6)
· 12 meetings since 2012
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
edge Iowa State Cyclones
204 ranks
West Virginia Mountaineers #253 rush offense
Iowa State Cyclones #49 run defense
Pass game
edge Iowa State Cyclones
70 ranks
West Virginia Mountaineers #189 pass offense
Iowa State Cyclones #119 pass defense
Run game
even
21 ranks apart
Iowa State Cyclones #76 rush offense
West Virginia Mountaineers #55 run defense
Pass game
edge Iowa State Cyclones
102 ranks
Iowa State Cyclones #87 pass offense
West Virginia Mountaineers #189 pass defense
West Virginia Mountaineers
Run-heavy · 62% run
Ball-control
Iowa State Cyclones
Run-heavy · 58% run
Avg pace
Rich Rodriguez · 39-38 · defense-minded
Matt Campbell · 81-57
Ranked by team-unit strength
(rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265
D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the
2025 season.
The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above
Who carried each team in 2025
West Virginia Mountaineers
RB
Cam Cook
194 rush yds · 3 TD · 2 rec
#38 RB
QB
Michael Hawkins Jr.
287 pass yds · 3 TD · 0 INT
#21 QB
LB
Isaiah Patterson
14 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.5 TFL
#193 LB
WR
DJ Epps
5 rec · 148 yds · 1 TD
#211 WR
Iowa State Cyclones
DL
Isaac Terrell
5 tkl · 3.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL
#116 DL
LB
Sullivan Schlimgen
18 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.0 TFL
#87 LB
TE
Vince Benetti
3 rec · 34 yds · 2 TD
#42 TE
QB
Jaylen Raynor
301 pass yds · 3 TD · 0 INT
#82 QB
Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their
position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no
2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for
these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.
Power breakdown
Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).
Where the number comes from
West Virginia offense vs Iowa State defense-8.4 pts
Iowa State offense vs West Virginia defense+3.4 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 733 mi
An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have
played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.
Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest
were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them.
Adding them again would double-count.