It's time for the Cy-Hawk Series as the Iowa Hawkeyes (84%) host the Iowa State Cyclones (16%) at Kinnick Stadium.
I've selected my three favorite player props below in my Iowa State vs. Iowa prop predictions and college football picks.
DJ Vonnahme and Tony Diaz are appealing options in the passing attack, while Jaylen Raynor could be in for tough sledding in this contest taking place on Saturday, Sept. 12, and broadcast on NBC at 7:30 pm ET.
Best Iowa State vs Iowa props
Prop pick #1: DJ Vonnahme Over 33.5 receiving yards
DJ Vonnahme isn't getting much respect in the market. He's one of the best tight ends in the country yet isn't widely perceived as such, creating tremendous value early in the season.
His receiving prop of 24.5 was far too low last week, and he easily exceeded it with a four-catch, 42-yard day at the office. His prop line has bumped up 10 yards this week, but it isn't a big enough adjustment.
The former quarterback averaged the highest yards per route run (3.1) of any returning tight end.
He broke out over the final five games, averaging 74 yards, and expectations should be more in that range than whatever the market is thinking,
Vonnahme is the latest edition of what "Tight End U" has to offer, and I'm certainly here for it.
Prop pick #2: Tony Diaz Over 49.5 receiving yards
"Two Overs with a long-dormant Iowa passing attack?", you must be thinking. This man surely has lost his mind!
Recent history isn't replete with many elite Iowa passing offenses, true, but don't let that cause you to overlook that the Hawkeyes have a clear No. 1 at both tight end (Vonnahme) and wide receiver (Tony Diaz), who will be the focal points of this attack.
Diaz hails from UT Rio Grande Valley, where he was a Freshman All-American after catching 68 passes for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He received rave reviews from Iowa's coaching staff all offseason, and the hype appeared real in the opener when he scored the Hawkeyes' first touchdown of the season and had 84 yards.
It's the volume that's particularly tantalizing, however: Diaz saw a whopping 13 targets against Northern Illinois.
He provides a different element than what this program has seen at receiver in quite some time, and he's going to get all the work he can handle in order to open up the offense.
Prop pick #3: Jaylen Raynor Under 149.5 passing yards
For all the positives I have to say about Iowa's new-look passing attack, I'll have to be a bit more dour when discussing Iowa State's offense.
I mean, what is there to say after Matt Campbell and 55 transfers left the program?
The Cyclones return just 13 starts, fewest in the Big 12, and that was evident in the opener when they mustered just 303 total yards against FCS school Southeast Missouri State.
Arkansas State transfer quarterback Jaylen Raynor completed just eight of his 16 pass attempts.
With a green offensive line that has 15 career FBS starts and features zero full-time FBS starters, Iowa State will be hesitant to let Raynor drop back too often in this rivalry game.
Both volume and efficiency are massive question marks. Neither team will play with tempo, leading to fewer possessions, and Raynor will face that when up against Iowa's stingy defense.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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