Iowa
ESPN Matchup Predictor Forecasts Kansas vs Iowa State Basketball Matchup
No. 9 Kansas and No. 5 Iowa State are set to tip off this weekend in another Big 12 thriller. Two of the best teams in the conference will meet for the second time this season after the Jayhawks dominated the first matchup in an 84-63 blowout.
This time around will be much different, as the Cyclones will host the game at Hilton Coliseum, one of the best environments in the Big 12. KU head coach Bill Self has lost in that building three straight years by a combined 36 points.
Kansas has won its past eight games in a streak that began Jan. 13 against this very team in Allen Fieldhouse. Can the Jayhawks extend it to nine against the squad that started it all? ESPN’s computer model doesn’t appear to think so.
Kansas at Iowa State: ESPN Matchup Predictor Gives Prediction
The Matchup Predictor gives KU an extremely slim chance of coming out victorious Saturday afternoon. It gives Iowa State nearly a three-in-four probability of winning.
ESPN Matchup Predictor Chances at Victory: Iowa State 73.2%, Kansas 26.8%.
Kansas On SI’s Take
It makes sense that Iowa State is favored, but this number seems slightly exaggerated. The Cyclones opened as 5.5-point favorites, yet the computer model views them as overwhelming favorites.
As well as TJ Otzelberger’s squad has played this season, it has won just five of its last eight games after starting 16-0. In its most recent outing, Iowa State went into Fort Worth and suffered a disappointing loss to TCU, dropping to 8-3 in conference play.
The Jayhawks, on the other hand, have looked nearly unstoppable in recent weeks. They just defeated No. 1 Arizona — granted, it was at home in the best environment in America, but it was still a feat no other team had accomplished this season, and they did it without their best player in Darryn Peterson.
Kansas has an opportunity to complete a rare season sweep over one of its more deep-rooted conference rivals. It is highly unlikely that the team is run out the gym like ISU was last month, given its recent winning streak.
The star freshman appears to be on track to return this weekend, which would give KU a significant boost in its starting five. If he is available, the Jayhawks likely deserve better odds from ESPN’s computer model than they currently have.
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When it comes to the Iowa Hawkeyes 2026 football season, it doesn’t get much bigger than Ohio State coming to Kinnick Stadium.
No one knows at this stage where the Buckeyes will be come Oct. 3, but Iowa has a chance to make an early impression against a team that is no stranger to winning the big one.
Iowa’s B1G schedule couldn’t get off to a worse start as they head to Michigan and then welcome the Buckeyes to Kinnick.
Hopefully for Iowa’s sake, their first three games against Northern Illinois, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa are enough to get them prepared. If not, things could get ugly.
ESPN Believes Ohio State is Iowa’s Biggest Opponent in 2026
The Michigan game will certainly be a test, but hosting the Buckeyes is a different animal. That gives the Hawkeyes an advantage like no other, and if there was ever a time to give OSU a run for their money, it’s in Iowa City on Oct. 3.
“The Hawkeyes haven’t faced Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium since 2017, when Nate Stanley threw five touchdowns as they stunned the Buckeyes 55-24. An early October win over Ohio State could propel Iowa into the Big Ten title and playoff conversations,” Jake Trotter wrote.
To put things into perspective, Indiana and Oregon were the other two teams that had the Buckeyes listed as their defining game in the 2026 season. Shockingly, Iowa was actually selected against a team, that being Minnesota. Seeing as that’s for the Floyd of Rosedale, it makes complete sense.
Iowa Can’t Let Regular Season Opportunities Go To Waste
Last year was seemingly the Hawkeyes’ first time to actually make the College Football Playoffs. They came up short as their losses to No. 16 Iowa State, No. 11 Indiana, No. 9 Oregon and No. 17 USC all added up. Sure, those were by a combined 15 points, but that doesn’t matter, as it’s bad enough that a three-loss team made the playoffs.
Iowa ended with a bang as they took down No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, 34-27. Now, all eyes are on either Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown. One of those men will have a chance to make their first B1G start at the Big House in Michigan.
It doesn’t get any tougher than that, as Iowa is immediately putting their new QB into deep water. They’ll have three games prior to that to get up to speed, but other than that, it’s go time as OSU awaits after their trip to Michigan.
Don’t forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!
MANCHESTER, Iowa — The state of Iowa lost a titan of the prep coaching world this week. Former Kee High School baseball coach Gene Schultz died on Monday at the age of 80.
Schultz spent 45 seasons as the baseball coach at Kee, helping turn the program into an Iowa dynasty. He won 9 State championships (not counting 2 fall titles, which the IHSAA doesn’t recognize in the record books), and took the Hawks to 19 State tournaments, which is also the most in Iowa history.
His 1,754 wins are not only the most in Iowa history, but the most of any high school baseball coach in the country.
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