Ohio State at Iowa

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the No.9 Ohio State Buckeyes will go on the road to take on the No.20 Iowa Hawkeyes in a Big Ten matchup that could decide who wins the conference title. The Buckeyes got off to a slow start against Penn State last week, but got things going late and wound up winning 38-14. The Hawkeyes title hopes took a huge hit after they were upset by Northwestern 21-17, but this is a team that has lost three games by a combined 12 points. The Buckeyes have dominated the series, winning 11 of the last 12 by an average of 20 points per game, but the oddsmakers don’t think we will have a blowout this week, as the current college football odds have the Buckeyes favored by 3 points over the Hawkeyes.

Ohio State (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten): The Buckeyes trailed 14-3 at half, and it looked as though they were in for a big let down against the Nittany Lions, but Ohio State outscored Penn State 35-0 in the second half and ended up making it look easy. The Buckeyes finished with 453 yards of total offense, and also had two interceptions returned for a touchdown.

Terrell Pryor attempted just 13 passes on the game, completing eight for 139 yards and two scores, but also threw an interception for the fourth straight game. Pryor added 49 yards on nine carries, but it was Dan Herron who really got Ohio State rolling on the ground, as the junior carried it 21 times for 190 yards and a score.

It will be interesting to see how much success the Buckeyes have on the ground this week, as Iowa comes in ranked fifth in the country, allowing just 87 yards a game. Iowa has struggled against the pass this season, but with the mistakes Pryor has been making, its hard telling how much Ohio State will air it out.

Iowa (7-3, 4-2 Big Ten): The Hawkeyes looked like they were in complete control with a 17-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, but an interception by Ricky Stanzi set up the first of two fourth quarter touchdowns for the Wildcats, who really ruined what was a great season for the Hawkeyes.

Stanzi finished 23 of 41 for 270 yards and two touchdowns, but that one mistake really hurt his team, as he just threw it up into double-coverage. Adam Robinson had another fine day on the ground, rushing for 108 yards on 22 carries, but was unable to find the endzone against a stingy Northwestern defense.

Robinson doesn’t figure to have a whole lot of success against the Buckeyes, who are fourth against the run, allowing just 86.5 yards a game. The problem for Iowa is the Buckeyes are also great against the pass, allowing just 151 yards a game through the air. I think Iowa will be able to throw against the Buckeyes, but Stanzi has to protect the football if the Hawkeyes are going to come away with a win.

Looking at the Odds: I think Iowa comes ready to play this week, and I see them not only covering the spread, but I think they have a great shot at winning this game. Iowa has the defense that can control Pryor and the Buckeyes running game, and Iowa really is a different team playing in front of their home crowd. My final score prediction is Iowa 30, Ohio State 28.

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