The Big 12’s “Farmageddon” rivalry will kick off the 2025 college football season on Saturday as Iowa State takes on Kansas State. And that rivalry game will be held outside the United States for the first time ever. These teams will open their season at Aviva Stadium in Dublin as these ranked opponents square off for the right to remain undefeated through Week 0. Before kickoff, continue reading to get my Iowa State vs Kansas State prediction.
Our Iowa State vs Kansas State Pick
- Pick: Iowa State +3
- Confidence: 3/5
- Week 0 Bonus Bets: Use BetMGM promo code ATSBONUS to bet on Week 0 and get up to $1,500 in bonus bets if your first bet doesn’t win!
Game Snapshot
| Matchup: | Iowa State Cyclones vs Kansas State Wildcats |
| Date & Time: | Saturday, August 23, 2025, 12:00 PM ET |
| Venue: | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |
| Broadcast: | ESPN |
Iowa State vs Kansas State Odds
- Point Spread: Kansas State -3
- Moneyline: Iowa State +130, Kansas State -155
- Total: 49.5
Key Storylines
About Last Season
- Iowa State ended 2024 with a program-record 11-win season. They ended it with a Pop-Tarts Bowl victory over Miami after a strong showing as Big 12 regular-season co-champions.
- Kansas State finished 9-4. They put up a ton of fight against ranked opponents and a solid +97 point differential. The Cyclones posted a +114 point differential.
- The all-time series between these teams has gone in favor of Iowa State. They lead the all-time series 54–50–4 and ISU won the most recent encounter 29–21 in 2024.
Quarterback Play
- Iowa State: Junior QB Rocco Becht returns after throwing for 3,505 yards, 25 TDs, and 9 INTs in 2024. He excelled in the Pop-Tarts Bowl with three TD passes in the win over Miami.
- Kansas State: Avery Johnson returns as one of the Big 12’s most dynamic dual-threat QBs. In 13 games last season he passed for 2,712 yards and 25 TDs. Johnson also ran for 605 yards and seven scores.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Spread trends: K-State was just 4-9 ATS last season and 1-5 ATS in its last six. Iowa State was 8-6 ATS and a strong 5-1 ATS as the underdog in their last six games.
- The total went over in 4 of Iowa State’s last 6 games a season ago
Iowa State vs Kansas State Model Projection
Score Projection: Iowa State 24 – Kansas State 21
Win Probability: Iowa State 52%, Kansas State 48%
Final Thoughts
This game is going to be incredibly tight in my opinion. No matter who wins, it is hard for me to see either team doing so by any sort of convincing margin. Both teams have quarterbacks who have proven they can make big plays in big spots and this could be a game where the team to have the ball last could win the game.
My best bet for this contest is for Iowa State to cover the spread as an underdog. This game is close to a coin flip as far as I’m concerned. That means there is some value on the dog and I’ll start my 2025 college football betting season taking the points.
