Iowa vs. Ohio State: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Week 6 brings us a fascinating Big Ten matchup between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Ohio State Buckeyes at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.

This is a game that provides a lot of intrigue, as we haven’t seen Ohio State face good competition this season.

The Buckeyes have a massive showdown against Oregon next week, but they’ll have to get past the Hawkeyes first. 

Iowa is going to be what it always is; well-coached, disciplined and strong defensively. It remains to be seen if the Hawkeyes offense can produce against a quality opponent. 

With both teams looking to make a statement on a big stage, let’s get into our betting picks, predictions and best bets for the game.

Iowa vs. Ohio State betting picks and predictions

Ohio State -19.5 (-110)

This would have been a game where the underdog warranted a long look when lines opened up on Sunday. However, given that Iowa has continued to take money and this number has now been pushed down under 20, we are now seeing value in Ohio State.  

The Hawkeyes are coming off a bye after having spent the last few weeks beating up on lesser competition. As a result, this is a massive step up in class for an Iowa team that lost its only other game against a top-25 opponent this season (Iowa State at home).  

There’s certainly an avenue for Iowa to compete in this game on paper, but this is just one of those matchups that doesn’t favor the low-scoring, defensive-minded team.

After all, Ohio State has one of the best rosters in the nation on both sides of the ball and the metrics speak for themselves.  

This will be the best offense the Hawkeyes have faced by far, as Ohio State ranks first in the nation in offensive estimated points added margin, seventh in success rate and second in net points per drive.

The Buckeyes have a dominant two-headed monster at running back with Quinshon Judkins and Treveyon Henderson, and Ohio State’s embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position continues this season with Emeka Egbuka and freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith.

The talent on this roster alone is overwhelming, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has new quarterback Will Howard playing clean and efficiently, which is the key to making this offense click.

Defensively, Ohio State ranks inside the top 5 in opponent EPA per rush, EPA per pass and net points per drive, so there’s certainly not a drop off from last season’s excellent unit under Jim Knowles. 

As long as Ohio State can take away the ground game, this Iowa offense should struggle mightily to sustain successful drives against a terrific Buckeyes defense.

Therefore, if Iowa falls behind early in this one, the Hawkeyes could be in real trouble on the road.

Over 45.0 total points (-110)

This is a scenario where the game script for each team will tell the story for both the spread and total on Saturday.

If Iowa is going to keep this one respectable and cover, then that likely means that the Hawkeyes will have to limit this explosive Ohio State offense and turn this game into a grind it out affair. 

Iowa should look to limit the amount of possessions that the Buckeyes get in this game, and it’s hard to imagine that Ohio State will want to show much given that Ryan Day’s group has Oregon on deck in what could be the game of the year in the Big Ten.

With all of that said, it’s hard to imagine how Ohio State doesn’t score in this game. The Buckeyes offense is much too talented and efficient to be limited against an Iowa defense that is very solid, but not quite as strong as what we’ve seen in recent years. 

Iowa did surrender some big plays in the passing game against Iowa State back in Week 2, and there’s no doubt that Ohio State’s passing offense presents a much bigger challenge than what the Hawkeyes saw against the Cyclones.

The last time these two teams played, the Buckeyes tallied 54 points in a dominant showing in Columbus.

It could be a similar performance here, as Ohio State should be able to get to at least 31-35 points by themselves in a game where the offense should keep on humming.  

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Football on site.

Iowa vs. Ohio State odds

Iowa	+900 ML
Ohio State	-1600 ML
Spread	Ohio State -19.5
Total Points	O/U 45.0

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.