Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew was one of the top signal callers in the nation this season, but he'll be challenged by a talented defense in the 2018 Alamo Bowl as the No. 13 Washington State Cougars meet up with the No. 24 Iowa State Cyclones on Friday at 9 p.m. ET. Vegas is expecting 56 total points in this matchup, while the Cougars are favored by 2.5 in the latest Washington State vs. Iowa State odds after the line opened at six. Weather won't be a factor since the game is indoors at the cozy Alamodome in San Antonio. If you're looking to lock in any Washington State vs. Iowa State picks for this top-25 postseason battle between the Pac-12 and Big 12, be sure to first see the 2018 Alamo Bowl predictions from SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh.

The renowned co-founder of AccuScore enters bowl season on an impressive 16-9 run on his college football picks, and he's had an especially keen eye for the tendencies of Iowa State, entering this matchup on a 4-0 run on against the spread picks involving the Cyclones. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now he's evaluated the latest 2018 Alamo Bowl odds and crunched the numbers for every possible scenario for Washington State vs. Iowa State. His Alamo Bowl picks are in and only available at SportsLine.

Oh has taken Iowa State's strong defense into account. In the offensively-dominated Big 12, the Cyclones gave up just 351 yards per game, ranking second in the conference. For context, TCU (344.4 yards per game) is the only other team in the Big 12 that gave up an average of under 400 yards per game. 

The Cyclones also finished the regular season second in the Big 12 in pass defense, giving up just under 230 yards per game through the air. Considering they faced quarterbacks like Will Grier, Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, and Sam Ehlinger this season, that number looks even more impressive. Iowa State is 4-2 against the spread as an underdog this season.

Just because Iowa State is coming in hot doesn't mean it will cover the 2018 Alamo Bowl spread.

Minshew has faced physical defenses before, but still regularly put up big numbers. The Cougars went off for 41 points on Stanford and 34 on Oregon. Minshew put up close to 800 yards of passing combined in those two matchups and won't be fazed by Iowa State's strong defensive front.

For the regular season, Minshew finished with 4,477 yards, 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions. But while the Cougars are often labeled as a team that just has a prolific offense, Mike Leach's squad also finished fourth in the league in scoring defense.

Washington State has also been outstanding against the spread this season, going 9-2 versus FBS teams compared to 6-5 for Iowa State. And the Cougars' point differential of plus-13.5 is triple Iowa State's plus-4.5. Washington State is a perfect 5-0 against the spread on the road or at neutral sites.

We can tell you Oh is leaning to the Under, but his stronger pick is against the spread. He's identified a crucial x-factor that makes one side hit hard, and he's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine. 

So, who wins Washington State vs. Iowa State? And what crucial x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Stephen Oh's 2018 Alamo Bowl picks, all from the expert on a 4-0 run on against the spread picks involving the Cyclones, and find out.