The Ohio State Buckeyes play the Iowa Hawkeyes. See our college football odds series for our forecast and pick for Iowa Ohio State.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are a prime example of a “half-a-loaf” group. On one side of the ball, they are incredibly strong, while on the other, they are utterly helpless and incapable. There are many other teams that fit that description, but none of the other teams in the nation embody the split-personality profile as well as Iowa does. The Hawkeyes would win the Big Ten West if they had a marginally effective offence to go with this Iowa defence. If you throw the Tennessee or USC offences to this Iowa defence? Wow. The Hawkeyes would be a contender for the national title. It’s really bad for Hawkeye supporters that a lacklustre offence keeps wasting the skills of a terrific defence. While many will place the blame for these issues on offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the real issue is the quarterback position. Simply said, Spencer Petra isn’t very good. Naturally, Brian Ferentz shares some of the blame for this issue, but his father, head coach Kirk Ferentz, is the one who ultimately bears responsibility for failing to identify this particular position. Even though Ferentz doesn’t like it (and he doesn’t), using the transfer portal must become a regular part of a coach’s job description in college football in 2022 because the Hawkeyes didn’t use it too much this offseason. The industry now functions in this manner. The sooner coaches realise they will fall behind if they don’t use the gateway, the better.
Both their offence and defence are top-notch for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The balance Iowa sorely lacks they have. The Ohio State defence isn’t great, but a team doesn’t need the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers defence on the field when C.J. Stroud is passing the ball to a bevvy of talented wide receivers in front of a solid offensive line. It simply requires a disciplined, effective defence that can prevent many goals per game and limit damage. The Buckeyes has that. The Bucks will be alright this season as long as opponents don’t hang video game-level statistics on them. In 2022, Ohio State has a lot of room for error because the Big Ten is full with teams with meagre, inferior, or worse offenses—being Iowa’s the worst. In Big Ten Conference play this season, Michigan seems to be the only club with a chance to defeat Ohio State.
These Iowa-Ohio State NCAAF Odds are provided by FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Iowa-Ohio State Odds
Hawkeyes of Iowa: +29.5 (-108)
Buckeyes from Ohio State: -29.5 (-112)
Over: 49.5 (-106) (-106)
Under: 49.5 (-114)
Why Iowa Could Cover the Spread
The Hawkeyes possess the top defence Ohio State has encountered so far this year. While the Fighting Irish defence hasn’t been particularly strong this year, it did a good job of handling Ohio State in Week 1. It hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been either imposing. In terms of defence, Iowa has performed better than Notre Dame thus far in the season. If the Hawkeyes play their best defensive game, they can keep Ohio State’s scoring to under 30. Given that the spread is 29.5, if Ohio State scores fewer than 30 points, Iowa is assured of covering the spread.
Why Ohio State Could Cover the Spread
The Hawkeyes have not encountered the speed they will see on Saturday, despite Iowa’s excellent defence. Although Iowa performed well to limit Michigan to under 30 points, Michigan’s outside receivers lack Ohio State’s talent and skill. Given Iowa’s complete lack of offence, Ohio State should be able to score 38 points in this game, which should be enough to win.
Final Iowa-Ohio State Prediction & Pick
The Iowa offence is powerless. That much is apparent. The key question is whether Ohio State can utterly dismantle Iowa’s defence with its offence. Ohio State will probably score no more than 42 points as long as Iowa can hold the fort for a quarter and a half. The under seems to be the best bet in this game because Iowa is unlikely to score more than seven.
Final prediction and pick for Iowa-Ohio State: Under 49.5
Iowa vs. Ohio State predictions, odds, and pick for the college football game on October 22, 2022, were the first to emerge on ClutchPoints.
