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Iowa State will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. The Iowa State Cyclones and the TCU Horned Frogs will face off in a Big 12 battle at 8:00 p.m. ET at Jack Trice Stadium. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Iowa State might have drawn first blood against Oklahoma on Saturday, but it was Oklahoma who got the last laugh. Iowa State was pulverized by Oklahoma 50-20. Iowa State was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-20.
Despite the defeat, Iowa State got a solid performance out of Jayden Higgins, who picked up 91 receiving yards and a touchdown. Higgins was no stranger to the big play, cutting upfield for a catch that went for 67 yards. Rocco Becht also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the point spread favored TCU last Saturday, but luck did not. They fell just short of West Virginia by a score of 24-21.
Chandler Morris put forth a good effort for the losing side as he threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 51 yards. Those 298 passing yards set a new season-high mark for Morris.
Iowa State's status as the underdog is well-deserved: they've lost three of their last four matches. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 5-0 Oklahoma (Iowa State's opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 81.3% over those games). TCU's loss on Saturday dropped their record down to 3-2.
In addition to losing their last games, the two teams failed to cover the spread. As mentioned, TCU is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by six points. This contest will be their fifth straight as the favorites (a stretch that saw them go 2-3 against the spread).
Iowa State took a serious blow against TCU in their previous matchup last November, falling 62-14. Will Iowa State have more luck at home instead of on the road? Watch the match or check back on CBS Sports to find out.
