luckadjusted
CFB Week 4 · 2026

College football · Week 10 2026 · Saturday, November 7

Iowa State vs Baylor prediction and pick

Our Iowa State Cyclones at Baylor Bears pick: Iowa State by 1.7, 54% to win. The forecast rates every team against the opponents it has played, this season and last, and adds home field. No betting information goes in.

An early look, 6 weeks ahead: it sharpens as the game comes up. Updated every day until kickoff, then frozen and scored. After the game this page shows who deserved to win.

Why the curves are so wide: luck. Even with both teams’ strength known exactly, one game’s bounces, kicks, calls and sequencing move the final margin by about ±12.1 points (one standard deviation, measured from every play since 2019). These forecasts carry ±16.9, so about 51% of the width is that luck; the rest is what nobody knows yet about the teams. That is why a 7-point favorite still loses about 3 times in 10.

Iowa State at Baylor

Sat, Nov 7, time to be announced · McLane Stadium

Iowa State by 1.7 · 54% to win

Show as a table
OutcomeChance
Iowa State win54.0%
Baylor win46.0%
Middle 50%: Iowa State by 14 to Baylor by 1050%
Middle 90%: Iowa State by 29 to Baylor by 2690%
Middle 95%: Iowa State by 35 to Baylor by 3195%
Exactly Iowa State by 36.6%
Exactly Baylor by 36.4%
Exactly Iowa State by 75.1%
Exactly Baylor by 74.7%
Exactly Iowa State by 143.2%
P50
Half of games like this end between Iowa State by 14 and Baylor by 10.
P90
9 in 10 between Iowa State by 29 and Baylor by 26.
P95
19 in 20 between Iowa State by 35 and Baylor by 31.
Where the forecast comes from
Last seasonIowa State+3.3
Home fieldBaylor+3.1
This season, against its opponentsIowa State+1.6

The season so far

TeamRecordCoin-flip winsLuck in wins
Iowa State 2–2 2.2 −0.3
Baylor 3–1 3.0 +0.2

Coin-flip wins: the wins each team’s games were worth with only the kicks, bounces, drops and calls re-rolled, the record adjusted for luck. Luck in wins: actual wins minus what the play was worth.

Iowa State vs Baylor: questions and answers

Who will win Iowa State vs Baylor?

Our forecast picks Iowa State, with 54% to win; Baylor win 46% of the time.

What’s the spread for Iowa State vs Baylor?

Our spread: Iowa State −1.7. The betting line isn’t out yet. Ours uses no betting information, so where the two differ is where our read of the teams differs from the market’s.

When is Iowa State vs Baylor?

Saturday, November 7, 2026 (kickoff time to be announced), at McLane Stadium.