luckadjusted
CFB Week 4 · 2026

College football · Week 11 2026 · Saturday, November 14

Cincinnati vs Iowa State prediction and pick

Our Cincinnati Bearcats at Iowa State Cyclones pick: Iowa State by 7.7, 68% 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, 7 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 ±17.0, so about 50% 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.

Cincinnati at Iowa State

Sat, Nov 14, time to be announced · Jack Trice Stadium

Iowa State by 7.7 · 68% to win

Show as a table
OutcomeChance
Cincinnati win32.5%
Iowa State win67.5%
Middle 50%: Cincinnati by 3 to Iowa State by 1950%
Middle 90%: Cincinnati by 21 to Iowa State by 3590%
Middle 95%: Cincinnati by 26 to Iowa State by 4195%
Exactly Iowa State by 36.3%
Exactly Cincinnati by 35.4%
Exactly Iowa State by 75.3%
Exactly Iowa State by 143.9%
Exactly Cincinnati by 73.7%
P50
Half of games like this end between Cincinnati by 3 and Iowa State by 19.
P90
9 in 10 between Cincinnati by 21 and Iowa State by 35.
P95
19 in 20 between Cincinnati by 26 and Iowa State by 41.
Where the forecast comes from
Home fieldIowa State+3.1
Last seasonIowa State+2.3
This season, against its opponentsIowa State+2.2

The season so far

TeamRecordCoin-flip winsLuck in wins
Cincinnati 4–0 3.4 +0.8
Iowa State 2–2 2.2 −0.3

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.

Cincinnati vs Iowa State: questions and answers

Who will win Cincinnati vs Iowa State?

Our forecast picks Iowa State, with 68% to win; Cincinnati win 32% of the time.

What’s the spread for Cincinnati vs Iowa State?

Our spread: Iowa State −7.7. 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 Cincinnati vs Iowa State?

Saturday, November 14, 2026 (kickoff time to be announced), at Jack Trice Stadium.