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Ohio State Football: Three bold predictions for Iowa game

By Frank Teriaca

COLUMBUS, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 10: Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes takes the field with the team before playing the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Ohio Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 10: Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes takes the field with the team before playing the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Ohio Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State football team is rested and ready to go following its off week last Saturday. The Buckeyes welcome Kirk Ferentz and the 3-3 Iowa Hawkeyes to Columbus. Iowa is coming in having lost two games in a row, including a lackluster 9-6 loss to Illinois last Saturday.

This Iowa offense has been awful this season only scoring above 14 points just twice this season. The heat is absolutely on Ferentz and his son, Brian, who is the offensive coordinator. Defensively, the Hawkeyes are as advertised. Jack Campbell at linebacker is one of the best defenders in the Big Ten and cornerback Cooper DeJean is second in the Big Ten with three interceptions.

This Iowa defense might be the best that Buckeye quarterback C.J. Stroud has seen all season so it will be an interesting matchup from that perspective. But in the end, if Iowa can’t score, which they more than likely will not, then the Buckeyes should easily win this game going away.

Here are three predictions for the game.

Prediction 1: The Ohio State football team doesn’t put Iowa away early

The Ohio State football team might struggle to put Iowa away early.
The Ohio State football team might struggle to put Iowa away early. /

While the Iowa offense is rather pathetic, last in the league in both passing and rushing yards per game, the defense is rather stout. They held Michigan to 13 points in the first half three weeks ago and only allowed 27 for the game.

And while Ohio State needed that off week to rest up and get healthy, I could see the Buckeye offense shaking off some cobwebs early on. As of now, we are still not sure about the availability of the running backs or wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Nijigba.

Look for some clunkiness to get worked out in the first few quarters as I believe Iowa could be within 10 or 14 points of the Buckeyes at halftime. Iowa’s defense is one of the best in the country for a reason, even if they are playing an elite offense.

The second bold prediction has to deal with a receiver.

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