4:05 pm
January 2

Fiesta Bowl: #25 Oregon v. #10 Iowa State

Who will WIN this matchup?

#25 Oregon Ducks (4-2)

#10 Iowa State Cyclones (8-3)

 

Current odds:

Oregon Ducks: (+190)

Iowa State Cyclones: (-220)

 

•  The line for this game is Iowa State by 5.5 points.

•  In less than a week, Oregon went from understudy to center stage. The Ducks got into the Pacific-12 Conference title game only because Washington had to drop out because of coronavirus concerns. Oregon made the most of the opportunity by defeating host USC 31-24 for the championship. That gave the No. 25 Ducks (4-2) the Pac-12’s automatic berth to a New Year’s Six game. They’ll meet No. 10 Iowa State (8-3) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2 in Glendale, Ariz.

•  Oregon won its first three games before back-to-back losses to Oregon State and California. A matchup with Washington to determine the winner of the Pac-12 North was canceled, leaving the Ducks a half-game behind the Huskies and seemingly destined for a lower-tier bowl game. That is, until a virus spike in Washington’s athletic department. The Huskies’ loss was the Ducks’ gain.

•  The Cyclones took a different path to their first January bowl game. After losing their season opener to Louisiana, the Cyclones won seven of their next eight games before a 27-21 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship.

•  Iowa State has the nation’s leading rusher in Breece Hall, who totaled 1,436 yards and 19 touchdowns. Quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 2,594 yards and 18 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

•  Ducks quarterback Tyler Shough threw for 1,480 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions in six games. CJ Verdell, who was Oregon’s rushing leader in the regular season, missed the Pac-12 finale with a knee injury but could be back for the bowl game.

•  The Ducks will be making their third appearance in the Fiesta Bowl after beating Colorado in 2002 and Kansas State in 2013.

6/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#10 Iowa State Cyclones
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