Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones

Injuries noted

Oklahoma State Cowboys: Quinton Hammonds (questionable) — S #7 listed Questionable on the Big 12 Update 2 report; Dayvon Standard (out) — WR #19 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report; Carson Kolb (out) — TE #44 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report; Landon Dean (questionable) — DT #88 listed Questionable on the Big 12 Update 2 report

Iowa State Cyclones: Connor Moberly (out) — QB #5 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report; Beni Ngoyi (out) — CB #5 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report; Trey Verdon (probable) — DE #44 listed Probable on the Big 12 Update 2 report; Caden Crawford (out) — DE #92 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report; Ka'Mori Moore (out) — DT #95 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report; Bryson Lamb (out) — DT #99 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report

QUARTERBACK

• Drew Mestemaker is OKST's projected starter

  9.73 Y/A

  Drew Mestemaker is OKST's projected starting quarterback. Every Oklahoma State preview this week treats Mestemaker as the quarterback. Iowa State Daily (Oct 28) calls him the primary passer, with 2,326 passing yards and 20 TDs in seven games. Pistols Firing (Oct 28) previews him against Iowa State's Jaylen Raynor. At his Tuesday press conference (NewsOn6, Oct 28), Eric Morris praised how he moved in the pocket against Colorado. None of the opened sources has the team itself saying he starts, so he is projected, not confirmed. No opened source reports an injury in the Colorado game or a limited practice this week. That means not reported, not confirmed healthy. 2026 line: 2326 passing yards, 65.7% completions, 9.73 yards per attempt, 20-6 TD-INT over 7 games.

• Jaylen Raynor is ISU's confirmed starter

  6.85 Y/A

  Jaylen Raynor is ISU's confirmed starting quarterback. Head coach Jimmy Rogers announced this week that Raynor will start: "We're going to go with Jaylen" (Iowa State Daily, Oct 28). Rogers made the call after Raynor was pulled at halftime of the Arizona loss for Connor Moberly. Pistols Firing (Oct 28) reports Iowa State is going with Raynor 'at least to start' and quotes Rogers calling him 'an awesome leader' who was 'obviously frustrated with getting pulled.' Yahoo/Roundtable (Oct 30) says he remains the starter. The halftime change was reported as a benching, not an injury. No opened source reports an injury or limited practice for Raynor this week. That means not reported, not confirmed healthy. 2026 line: 1083 passing yards, 58.9% completions, 6.85 yards per attempt, 6-4 TD-INT over 7 games.

PACE & SCRIPT

• OKST: 40 points per game to ISU's 25.9

  14.1 PPG

  Oklahoma State scores 40 points a game after just 14.2 last season, while Iowa State is at 25.9, close to its 27.4. That jump over 7 games is huge and probably overstates the true level. Iowa State has been consistent, so the Cowboys' offense is the variable on the road. Expect regression in their scoring when looking at totals.

• OKST @ ISU carries a 58.5 market total

  58.5

  This 58.5 total is 7 points above the 51.5 median across 33 games, a clear signal the market expects an open game with both offenses producing. The number leans on touchdowns over field goals. If drives start stalling in the red zone in the first half, the pace needed to clear this gets hard to recover.

MISMATCH

• OKST: 341 pass yards a game to ISU's 173.4

  341 VS 173.4

  Oklahoma State is throwing for 341 yards a game, almost double its 174.1 last season, so this is a different passing offense than a year ago. Iowa State has gone the other way, down to 173.4 from 221.4. Seven games is enough to take the Oklahoma State jump seriously, though a change that big can cool off. Iowa State has to win by shortening the game, and that clash of styles is the lens for this one.

REPLACEMENT

• Dayvon Standard (WR) is out for OKST

  OUT

  WR #19 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report Big 12 availability report (Update 2, published 2026-10-30 21:00:00 CT) (2026-10-30)

• Carson Kolb (TE) is out for OKST

  OUT

  TE #44 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report Big 12 availability report (Update 2, published 2026-10-30 21:00:00 CT) (2026-10-30)

• Connor Moberly (QB) is out for ISU

  OUT

  QB #5 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report Big 12 availability report (Update 2, published 2026-10-30 21:00:00 CT) (2026-10-30)

• Beni Ngoyi (CB) is out for ISU

  OUT

  CB #5 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report Big 12 availability report (Update 2, published 2026-10-30 21:00:00 CT) (2026-10-30)

• Caden Crawford (DE) is out for ISU

  OUT

  DE #92 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report Big 12 availability report (Update 2, published 2026-10-30 21:00:00 CT) (2026-10-30)

• Ka'Mori Moore (DT) is out for ISU

  OUT

  DT #95 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report Big 12 availability report (Update 2, published 2026-10-30 21:00:00 CT) (2026-10-30)

• Bryson Lamb (DT) is out for ISU

  OUT

  DT #99 listed Out on the Big 12 Update 2 report Big 12 availability report (Update 2, published 2026-10-30 21:00:00 CT) (2026-10-30)

SITUATIONAL

• OKST: 341 team passing yards per game to ISU's 173.4

  167.6 YPG

  Oklahoma State throws for 341 a game, almost double its 174.1 from last season, while Iowa State is down to 173.4 from 221.4. That is a big shift in identity for both teams over 7 games. Oklahoma State's passing jump could cool against Iowa State's defense on the road. This one may come down to whether the Cowboys can keep that passing production going in Ames.

• OKST: 26.4 first downs per game to ISU's 18.1

  8.3 FD

  OKST is at 26.4 first downs per game over 7 games; ISU is at 18.1 over 7 games. Those are this season's games through Oct 30. Last season OKST was at 15.6 over 12 games and ISU at 21.1 over 12 games.

TEAM RECORD

• ISU is 3-1 at home; OKST is 1-2 on the road

  3-1

  Iowa State has won three of its four home games, and Oklahoma State has won one of three on the road. These are small samples of four and three games, so one result in either direction changes the picture. The site split leans ISU, which gives the home side a modest edge to fold into the rest of the matchup.

• Big 12 game: OKST 3-1, ISU 1-3 in conference

  CONFERENCE

  These two share the Big 12. OKST is 3-1 against it, ISU is 1-3. 2026 standings through 2026-10-31.