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Arizona Football Vs. Iowa State Score Predictions

AMES, IOWA - SEPTEMBER 27, 2025: Benjamin Brahmer #18 of the Iowa State Cyclones catches a pass against Marquis Groves-Killebrew #5 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half at Jack Trice Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by Luke Lu/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images

The second half of the 2026 season begins Saturday with No. 25 Arizona (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) hosting the Iowa State Cyclones (3-3, 1-2). The Wildcats are off to their best start since 2014 and won four in a row before having last weekend off.

How will the Wildcats do on Homecoming? Our staff makes its predictions.

Kim Doss — Arizona wins 38-28

Heading into the season, this seemed like a sure Arizona win. With Iowa State losing its coach and most of its players after last season, the Cyclones had the look of a team that wasn’t going to be competitive this year. That hasn’t happened.

The Wildcats should still come out on top. The Cyclones lost one of their top receivers two weeks ago. While ISU has had a bye week to get used to being without him and Arizona recovered from similar injuries to its top receivers, the Cyclones were already a team that was struggling to pass.

ISU averages just over 178 yards per game through the air. In comparison, the Wildcats get just under 307. The Cyclones make up for some of the yardage difference on the ground by outrushing Arizona 191.5 to 149.8, but that hasn’t actually led to more scoring.

Iowa State has scored nine passing touchdowns and 11 rushing TDs this season. UA is sitting at 16 through the air and 10 on the ground. That’s averaging out to about six more points per game for the ‘Cats.

On the defensive side, Arizona is also holding its opponents to about two fewer points per game than Iowa State is. Admittedly, ISU’s numbers come against a more difficult schedule with three ranked opponents compared to just one for the Wildcats, but they haven’t been able to handle better teams away from home. This should be no different.

Ezra Amacher — Arizona wins 34-17

Arizona has taken care of business at home this fall, winning its prior three games at Casino Del Sol Stadium by margins of 28, 25 and 27 points. I think the Wildcats continue the trend of double digit home victories with a comfortable Homecoming win over an Iowa State team that hasn’t formed much of an identity on offense. Yes, the Cyclones put up a lot of points against an abysmal West Virginia defense a few weeks ago, but they struggled to get anything going against BYU or Utah, combining for six first half points in those two games.

My biggest concern going into Saturday is that Arizona’s offense will come out flat after a bye week. Arizona football also has a well-known history of underdelivering in big time opportunities. With a big Halloween showdown against Texas Tech coming up, it would be extremely unfortunate if Arizona can’t come out victorious Saturday and raise the stakes for the trip to Lubbock even higher.

Adam Green — Arizona wins 31-17

This is a game Arizona has to win, right? Coming off the bye, Homecoming, facing a not-great opponent and with bowl eligibility on the line? A loss wouldn’t end the season, but it certainly would change the perception of what’s happening in Tucson.

Good thing the Cats will win the game.

Had Arizona faced Iowa State about a month after it did last season it probably would have beaten the Cyclones. As it was, last year’s matchup in Ames was one of Arizona’s three regular season losses and the only one in which they were never really in the game. That was a much different Iowa State team, though. Coaching and roster changes have left the program in kind of a weird place, and while they still have some talented players and are also coming off a bye they are a bit one-dimensional offensively and don’t seem to have the defense to keep Arizona down for 60 minutes.

Juan Serrano — Arizona wins 38-20

Bowl eligibility, continuing the undefeated home record, and continuing to be of national relevance is on the line for Arizona. If Iowa State was not coming off of a bye week, I would have been more concerned for Arizona. Both schools got an extra week to prepare and I believe that favors the Wildcats. The offense is quickly finding itself with the run game coming on strong and “backup” wide receivers stepping up in place of those who are injured. The defense plays better inside Casino Del Sol Stadium and they want to get the bad taste of what happened in Morgantown out of their mouths.

Danny Gonzales will have his squad prepared for Aiden Flora and what he brings to the field. Noah Fifita will continue his clean and efficient play for the offense. This won’t be a comfortable game for Arizona because Iowa State does play with a lot of grit and determination. However, I think the Wildcats will pull away late and secure bowl eligibility for the second consecutive season, with a huge trip to Lubbock on the horizon.

Brandon Combs — Arizona wins 38-21

This is an interesting game for sure. Iowa State’s offense is…not efficient. They are near the bottom of the conference in yards per play (5.8), second to last in total number of first downs (115), second to last in third down conversions (22-71 for 31%) and near the bottom for fourth down conversions (4-9 for 44.4%). However, their red zone offense conversion percentage is the best in the conference, going a perfect 17-for-17 in the RZ. They’ve scored 12 touchdowns and made 5 field goals.

Their defense, on the other hand, is a different story. They are tied for third worst with yards per play given up (5.8), second worst in completion percentage allowed (63.6%), and fourth worst in red zone defense, giving up a score 81.3% of the time. The weird thing is they are pretty solid on third down, giving up only 31.6% of first downs and they have held opponents to only 95 first downs all season, which is good for second in the conference behind TCU. They also lead the conference with 6 fumble recoveries, while having only 2 interceptions. One big thing to look for here is ISU’s defense seems to have a tackling issue. According to PFF, the Cyclones have 89 missed tackles in 6 games. This should be something that Seth Doege should look to exploit.

One major player to look out for is running back Aiden Flora. He is good, plain and simple. He has 680 yards on 90 carries and 6 scores. That’s good for 7.6 yards per pop. Needless to say he makes the offense go. Quarterback Jaylen Raynor is not the best passer so far this year, completing only 57% of his passes for just over 1,000 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4 picks. He does have 166 yards and 3 touchdowns on 51 carries, so that might be something to look for.

Overall, I think Arizona is going to be too good and CDS Stadium is going to be too tough for the Cyclones to overcome. Arizona has one of the better offenses in the Big 12 and one the best defenses. The ‘Cats have one of the best red zone offenses (91.3%) and are tied with the best red zone defense (64.7%). The defense will have to do a better job of stopping Iowa State on third downs and ensure they are able to slow Flora down. I think the ‘Cats are able to play a complete game and close Homecoming with a solid win before heading to Lubbock.

Brian Pedersen — Arizona wins 31-20

Iowa State’s offense doesn’t have the kind of firepower that would make a shootout possible, so if Arizona is efficient and maximizes its chances it wins without issue. But the Cyclones have played ranked teams tough this season, and have recovered six fumbles in six games, so there is danger in not being careful with the ball.

Arizona showed it could win without its top three receivers but being balanced will still be important. The committee approach in the backfield has worked for the most part but only if everyone is producing.

Fingers crossed that fans will actually show up for a great kickoff time, Homecoming, and the chance to see the Wildcats lock up consecutive years of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2014-15.