The No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones head to Boulder for a Week 7 date with Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes.
Despite being nationally ranked with a 5-1 record, the Cylcones are short 2.5-point favorites against a reeling 2-4 Buffaloes squad.
My Iowa State vs. Colorado predictions and college football picks for Saturday, October 11 discuss why the Buffs are the better bet.
Want to make sure Covers shows up often in your Google search results and Discover feed?
Simply click here and add Covers as one of your "source preferences".
Iowa State vs Colorado prediction
Iowa State vs Colorado best bet: Colorado +2.5 (-105)
This is a tough spot for the Iowa State Cyclones, who are playing their second consecutive road game and have a bye week on deck. They’re coming off a season-worst performance against Cincinnati, falling behind 31-7 before mounting a comeback.
The Cyclones are banged-up. Starting corners Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams are out for the year, and starting running back Carson Hansen is highly questionable for Week 7.
To be fair, the Colorado Buffaloes are banged-up as well. They will likely be without several impact players as receiver Hykeem Williams is out, while receiver/running back Dre’lon Miller, receiver Isaiah Hardge, edge Arden Walker, and safety Cater Stoudemire are all considered doubtful.
Still, this is a better spot for Colorado, which has performed well at Folsom Field lately (2-0-1 ATS in its last three). The Buffs are coming off a fine performance against TCU in which they played the Horned Frogs close to even (-0.1 yards per play differential), but were hamstrung by a -4 turnover margin.
Iowa State has some questionable tendencies in its profile and is coming off a poor showing, while Colorado is at home following arguably its two strongest outings of the year.
Iowa State vs Colorado same-game parlay
Colorado has tended to get off to strong starts and then wilt as the game progresses, averaging seven points in the second half of games. The Buffs have cashed the Under in seven of their last nine games, and I envision that trend continuing.
Iowa State doesn’t want to get into another shootout, considering it will be down both starting corners and perhaps its starting running back.
Iowa State vs Colorado SGP
- Colorado +2.5
- Colorado +1.5 1Q
- Colorado +1.5 2Q
- Under 51.5
Our deep-ball SGP: Don’t call it a comeback
If this game holds true to form for Colorado this season, the Buffs will be competitive — especially early — before allowing Iowa State to find late success.
Iowa State vs Colorado SGP
- Colorado +2.5
- Colorado +1.5 1Q
- Colorado +1.5 2Q
- Under 51.5
- Iowa State -1.5 4Q
Iowa State vs Colorado odds
- Spread: Iowa State -2.5 | Colorado +2.5
- Moneyline: Iowa State -134 | Colorado +114
- Over/Under: Over 51.5 | Under 51.5
Iowa State vs Colorado trend to know
Iowa State has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four away games. Find more college football betting trends for Iowa State vs Colorado.
How to watch Iowa State vs Colorado
Location | Folsom Stadium, Boulder, CO |
Date | Saturday, October 11, 2025 |
Kickoff | 3:30 p.m. ET |
TV | ESPN |
Iowa State vs Colorado latest injuries
Iowa State vs Colorado weather
Monitor gametime conditions with our College football weather info.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.