Ohio State vs. Iowa Total Pick
Can No. 3 Ohio State hang another big point total when it goes on the road to face Iowa on Saturday at 3:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Ohio State is favored on the road in this game, as the Buckeyes are getting odds of -18 points against Iowa. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 52.5 points. Ohio State has won five straight meetings with Iowa and the two have hit the over in three of their last four encounters. The public is currently putting 60 percent of the wagers on Ohio State in this game. Saturday’s contest takes place from Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The contest airs live on ESPN.
Ohio State is coming off a big 39-38 win over Penn State last weekend at home. The Buckeyes improved to 7-1 on the season with the win and 5-0 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are also 6-2 with the over, hitting it in five straight games. Ohio State has one of the best offenses in the nation, putting up 46.3 points and 571.3 yards per game in 2017. J.T. Barrett has emerged as a leading Heisman candidate in recent weeks. He has thrown for 2,166 yards and 25 touchdowns with just one interception, while also rushing for 454 yards and five scores. J.K. Dobbins is the team’s leading rusher with 863 yards and five scores while Parris Campbell is the leading receiver with 29 catches for 410 yards. Campbell is dealing with a concussion that has him questionable to play on Saturday.
Iowa is coming off a 17-10 win over Minnesota last week to move to 5-3 on the season and 2-3 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are 6-2 with the under this season. Iowa has been relying on defense this season, as the Hawkeyes are giving up just 17.4 points and 368.8 yards per contest. Offensively, Iowa is averaging just 25 points and 345.9 yards per game. Nathan Stanley has thrown for 1,703 yards and 17 touchdowns this season to lead the team while Akrum Wadley has 643 rushing yards and five scores.
Ohio State had a big showing last week, but this is a tricky game at Iowa. The Hawkeyes have been very stingy on defense at home, even holding Penn State to just 21 points. While Iowa can’t match Ohio State’s speed, I think the Hawkeyes can match up physically up front. That could pose some problems for the run game. Ohio State won’t have much difficulty with this Iowa offense, but I do think the game will be low scoring and more of a grind that Urban Meyer would like.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: OHIO STATE/IOWA UNDER 52.5