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Iowa vs. Iowa State, Oregon vs. Boise State picks: College football odds

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Iowa vs. Iowa State, Oregon vs. Boise State picks: College football odds


What’s not to love about Oklahoma State’s offense?

With Doak Award-winning RB Ollie Gordon leading the attack behind an experienced offensive line (more than 200 career starts with seven seniors), the Pokes can move the ball consistently on the ground while setting up valuable play-action passes for ever-improving QB Alan Bowman (1,200-plus play-action passing yards in 2023).

While I have questions about OSU’s defense, it could improve with nine starters returning from last year’s unit.

Overall, the Pokes return 19 starters from last year’s Big 12 Championship runner-up roster, ranking first nationally in experience.

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Conversely, Arkansas ranks 88th in experience.

I worry about the offensive line (62 career starts) and linebacking corps (lost all four starters from last season).

There are major depth concerns across the defense, and on offense, it’s uncertain how Boise State transfer QB Taylen Green will perform in the SEC after three years in the MWC.

I always want to bet more experienced teams against less experienced ones in September.

The former is generally more game-ready in non-conference play.

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The Bowman-Gordon duo should roll over a questionable Razorback defense that ranked 74th in EPA per rush allowed last season.

The pick: Oklahoma State -10.

IOWA STATE (+2.5) over Iowa

I’m bullish on Iowa State. With 19 starters returning from last year’s roster that improved mightily after a slow start, I think the Cyclones could explode this year.

I love QB Rocco Becht, 2023’s Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

Two of his top three receivers from last year return alongside all five offensive line starters.

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The Cyclones are strong and experienced in the secondary.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht passes the ball during the fourth quarter of their 63-44 win over North Dakota in the season opener at Jack Trice Stadium. Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Though the Hawkeyes always field an elite defense, I’m not ready to believe that Tim Lester has suddenly fixed a hapless offense after a 40-0 victory against FCS Illinois State.

I don’t overreact to Week 1 FBS vs. FCS results, and I’m far from ready to buy in on QB1 Cade McNamara.

At the minimum, this should be a sloppy, lower-scoring game decided by one possession, and I’m willing to take the points in a points-at-a-premium battle.

Cyclone head coach Matt Campbell is 31-16 against the spread as an underdog of three or more points in his career.

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The pick: Iowa State +2.5.

OREGON (-19.5) over Boise State

The Ducks looked awful against FCS Idaho (24-14 win) last week, but they dominated the boxscore, tripling the Vandals in first downs (31-10) and more than doubling them in total yards (487-217).

Oregon was unlucky with ill-timed penalties, skewing the final result.

Again, I don’t overreact to Week 1 FBS vs. FCS results, so I remain high on the Ducks as national title contenders.

While Boise State is among the favorites to represent the Group of Five in the College Football Playoff, I’ve downgraded the Broncos significantly after their performance against Georgia Southern.

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Betting on College Football?


I had concerns about the defense, but it’s much worse than I imagined.

Georgia Southern dropped 45 points on 99 total plays, generating 0.30 EPA per rush (90th percentile) with 10 explosive plays (12 percent, 85th percentile).

What do you think Dan Lanning, Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks will do? They might drop 60.

Though superstar RB Ashton Jeanty obliterated Georgia Southern’s weak, undersized defensive line (school-record 269 yards and six touchdowns), he will be less effective against stiffer competition.

Oregon has talent and experience on defense, with nine returning starters from last year’s unit.

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Lanning should key in on Jeanty, trying to force inexperienced QB Maddux Madsen into uncomfortable passing situations.

Last week: 1-2. Clemson (L), Syracuse (L), Hawaii (W)
2024 Season: 1-2.



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Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)

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Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)


Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field

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Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.

Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field

Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.

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Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field

Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.

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Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field

Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.

Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis

Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.

Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf

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One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.

Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf

An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.

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Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field

Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.

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Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field

The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting

High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit

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Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit


The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.

Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.

The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.

After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.

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“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”

Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).

“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.

A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”

A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.

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Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.

He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.

A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.

Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.



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GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall

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GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall


DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.

Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.

One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.

“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”

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Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.

“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”

Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.

Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.

Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.

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“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.



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