What are the key factors for South Dakota vs Iowa State?

South Dakota: Key Factors

• Overmatched Against Top 25 Opponent: South Dakota, an FCS team that reached the semifinals last season, was outclassed by No. 22 Iowa State, losing 55-7. The Coyotes struggled on both sides of the ball, managing only one touchdown and allowing 55 points, highlighting the gap between FCS and FBS top-tier competition.
• Quarterback Performance and Turnovers: QB Aidan Bouman, a transfer from Iowa State, completed 15 of 29 passes for 126 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. His turnovers contributed to the lopsided score, and the offense failed to sustain drives against a strong Cyclones defense.
• Defensive Struggles Against Passing Attack: Iowa State's Rocco Becht set a school record with 95% completion rate (19/20) for 278 yards and three TDs, exploiting South Dakota's secondary. The Coyotes allowed 13 completions to tight ends, indicating a vulnerability to big targets in the passing game.
• Next Game: Opportunity for Bounce Back: South Dakota visits Lamar on Saturday, a more manageable FCS opponent. This game offers a chance to regroup and address offensive and defensive issues before conference play, but the team must improve execution to avoid another blowout.

Iowa State: Key Factors

• Rocco Becht's Efficient Passing: Becht completed 18 of 23 passes for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a strong first half where he completed his first 10 passes, showing improved confidence and rhythm.
• Carsen Hansen's Ground Dominance: Hansen rushed for 120 yards, with 99 coming in the first half, and scored a 4-yard touchdown, providing a physical running game that consistently gained yards after contact.
• Brett Eskildsen's Key Receiving Role: Eskildsen caught 2 touchdown passes for 73 yards, highlighting his importance as a reliable target and helping build momentum with the crowd.
• Strong Defensive Performance: The Cyclones held Kansas to 154 passing yards and forced an interception, limiting the Jayhawks to 14 points and securing their first home win since late September.
• Snapping Losing Streak and Building Momentum: Iowa State ended a 3-game losing streak against Kansas and improved to 7-4, gaining confidence and execution consistency heading into their next game at Oklahoma State.

What happened in the game?

South Dakota travels 177 miles to this game, a short road trip.

Iowa State won by 48 in a dominant performance.

Iowa State covered the spread, covering the spread comfortably.

The total went Over by 14.5 points.

Does weather affect this game at Jack Trice Stadium?

At 20.3°F, this is a cold-weather game. Cold conditions below 35°F historically compress scoring and reduce passing efficiency, favouring unders and run-heavy offences.

Full conditions are shown in the data panel above. Forecast data sourced from WeatherAPI.com. Use the Line Value Calculator to apply a manual weather adjustment to your projected line.

How do South Dakota and Iowa State compare on power ratings?

Blue Chip Analytics power ratings favour Iowa State (9.7) over South Dakota (-17.8) by 27.5 points on a neutral field. After adding home field advantage, the rating-implied line may differ meaningfully from the market spread. Iowa State brings a meaningful home field advantage to this matchup (Blue Chip HFA: 2.7). Add this to the neutral-site differential to arrive at a venue-adjusted line.

Blue Chip Analytics power ratings represent expected point margin against an average FBS opponent on a neutral field, calculated from game data sourced via CollegeFootballData.com (CFBD). They are one input — cross-reference with the travel, rest, and weather data above before drawing conclusions.

Where can I find more data on South Dakota and Iowa State?

• South Dakota
• Iowa State team page
• College Football Power Ratings
• Home Field Advantage Ratings