by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Oct 17, 2022
Time: Noon ET
Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Ohio State -28.5
FanDuel: Ohio State -28.5
BetMGM: Ohio State -29.5
Caesars: Ohio State -29
Season record
Iowa: 3-3 (1-2 Big Ten)
No. 2 Ohio State: 6-0 (3-0 Big Ten)
We're about to hit the fun part of college football season where games start getting a little tighter, performances start to become a little more noteworthy, and times at the books are fun for all. You don't believe me? Look at our own Kyle Hunter posting a 25-7-0 run over the last month in college football. That's even with all of the upsets and everything in between. Week 7 is upon us and we're near the point where college football is every day. You want to get back into the swing of things with this? Make sure to follow our Best Bets page and see what our champion handicappers are up to at bigal.com. Who knows? With a little bit of faith in us, you can be like Kyle, or even have as good a run as Sean Murphy at 32-16-1 over the last 30 days. The choices are yours!
Ohio State - Iowa preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Iowa: lost 9-6 at Illinois
Ohio State: won 49-20 at Michigan State
The easy schedule, one would say, continues for the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday with the No. 2 team in the country taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Columbus. This has all the makings of being one of the more lopsided games we’ve seen in the Big Ten this season, and if things go awry, Ohio State will find itself one step closer to challenging Georgia for the national title.
The easy schedule, one would say, continues for the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday with the No. 2 team in the country taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Columbus. This has all the makings of being one of the more lopsided games we’ve seen in the Big Ten this season, and if things go awry, Ohio State will find itself one step closer to challenging Georgia for the national title.
When you talk about discrepancy and how wild it can be that this should be a dominant home outing for OSU, all you have to look is what Iowa has done this year as a 3-3 team. The Hawkeyes have averaged 15 points per game, which offensively is not a shock if you’ve watched Iowa for many years. The defense is also great, giving up less than 10 points a game. Given Iowa’s stature, that’s also not a surprise.
What is a surprise is the Hawkeyes are just a .500 team with those numbers. Make it make sense, because honestly, there’s no way we can. Iowa has three losses while giving up 9.8 points per game, especially the latest being just 9 in a 9-6 loss to Illinois more than a week ago. Iowa can do that against the likes of Illinois with an unproven offense, but there’s no way they can do that against C.J. Stroud and company.
And as it stands right now, there’s no chance Iowa gets a hold of Ohio State. All you need to do is look at what this group has done since only scoring 21 against Notre Dame on opening weekend: 45, 77, 52, 49, 49. Those are the points the Buckeyes have scored since that time, and all losses have come by at least 29 points. That includes winning by 29 against Michigan State in East Lansing, the first road game of the year for Ohio State.
Stroud threw for 361 yards, six touchdowns and just his third interception of the season, as Ohio State outgained Michigan State 614-202 and held the ball for 37 minutes. This is the kind of performance that makes you wonder if they can do it against anybody. Right now, the Buckeyes are proving they can.
Also think that Ohio State did this at less than 100%. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back Miyan Willams did not play this game, and they completely were taken out of the equation early on.
"It's scary to me so I can only imagine what it's like for the rest of the country," said Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who had seven catches for 118 yards and three scores for the third time in seven games.
This is a group that has somehow dominated every opponent in its path, eventually setting up for what should be the winner-take-all of this environment, being the Big Ten title game. But we know the drill right now: Ohio State needs to eventually take on Michigan for the right to determine that. But I don’t think anyone wants to face Ohio State right now.
Prediction
This game should be over by halftime and if it’s close, Ohio State should deserve to lose. Let this be a lesson to all: Don’t be dumb. Ohio State by 42
Betting trends
Iowa is 4-3 ATS as an underdog the last three seasons.
Iowa is 0-2 ATS off a bye week in the last three years.
Ohio State is 5-1 ATS as a favorite between 21.5 and 31 points.
Ohio State is 71-49 ATS in its October games since 1942.
Statistical leaders
Iowa:
Passing: Spencer Petras -- 939 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Leshon Williams -- 236 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Sam LaPorta -- 278 yards
Ohio State:
Passing: C.J. Stroud -- 1,737 yards, 24 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Miyan Williams -- 497 yards, 8 TD
Receiving: Emeka Egbuka -- 655 yards, 6 TD
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Iowa Hawkeyes - Ohio State Buckeyes prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college football projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
