The Ohio State football welcomes Iowa to Columbus following its off week in the teams’ first meeting since 2017.

The Ohio State football team returns to the gridiron after its off week to take on the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes. Before the bye, the Buckeyes won its first road contest of the season in East Lansing beating the Michigan State Spartans 49-20. As Ohio State returns to the Horseshoe, FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show will be in town with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the call in front of a Scarlet the Shoe atmosphere.

This matchup is highly anticipated in Columbus as the last time these teams met, Iowa slapped 52 points on Ohio State in Kinnick. The Buckeyes have been awaiting their next shot at returning the favor since that moment in 2017. 

Preview

Ohio State enters with the top offense in the Big Ten and the No. 3 total offense in the country. On the flip side, Iowa enters with a top 3 defense both nationally and in the conference. Something has to give on Saturday in The Horseshoe, and I expect it to be the Hawkeyes’ defense. 

CJ Stroud is leading the Heisman race right now due to an incredibly efficient season and big numbers. The Ohio State QB has already thrown for 24 touchdowns and 1,737 yards while completing over 70% of his passes. Iowa’s defense will be his toughest task to date this season as the Hawkeyes only give up 154 yards through the air. 

Since this is a game Ohio State should overpower Iowa, Stroud should eclipse that mark before halftime as Marvin Harrison Jr and Emeka Egbuka continue their hot starts. 

Defensively, the Silver Bullets need to stay home and play sound, assignment football to take advantage of a lackluster Iowa offense that averages 14.7 points per game. Spencer Petras has been sacked 18 times so far this season, and I expect that number to increase to 22 before the clock strikes triple zeros. 

Over the last couple of seasons, Ohio State has started slowly coming out of its off week, so starting fast and assuming control of the game early is critical. The Buckeyes do not want Iowa to control the pace and tempo of the game, especially the Hawkeyes’ stout defense. 

Prediction

Currently, the Buckeyes are a 29.5-point favorite, and the over/under is set at 49. I like Ohio State to hold Iowa below its seasonal averages on the scoreboard and win 38-6. The Scarlet and Gray cover but the over-49 does not hit according to my prediction.