Texas beat Ohio State (3-1) and moved up to No. 1 in both polls. What happens if Iowa (4-0) beats the Buckeyes a week after its thrilling victory over Michigan?
It’s been hard to think of Iowa as one of the nation’s elite teams, but it has more pop on offense, the defense remains as strong as always, and, as the Wolverines had to deal with last week, the special teams are still among the elite.
And then there’s Ohio State. After its tough loss to the Longhorns, the Buckeyes ripped Kent State by 56 and dominated Illinois 42-19 to start the Big Ten season.

Ohio State vs Iowa: Quick Hits

  • Ohio State has won the last two games in the series (2022 and 2024) by a combined score of 89-17.
  • Iowa follows this up with three road games in four dates, starting with a Friday night showdown at Washington.
  • Ohio State gets Maryland next week before road dates at Indiana and USC.

How To Watch Ohio State vs Iowa

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Game Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV: CBS
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
– Week 5 Schedule & Predictions
– CFN Top 25 | Bowl Projections
– Predictions For Every Remaining Game
– CFN Expert Picks: Week 5

Why Ohio State Will Win

Ohio State has an offense.
Iowa might have a way of making every team slow to a crawl, but Northern Illinois is 130th in the nation in total offense. Iowa State is 110th, Northern Iowa is an FCS team, and Michigan is 107th. Ohio State is eighth in the nation in total offense, and that includes games against Texas and Illinois.
The Hawkeyes have a pass rush, but it’ll have to take things up a notch to get to Julian Sayin, who’s been humming along with Jeremiah Smith so far, connecting 33 times for 617 yards and seven touchdowns in the first four games.

Sep 26, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) signals during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Sep 26, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) signals during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Why Iowa Will Win

The Ohio State lines have been just okay. The defensive front got hit hard by the Illinois running game, the offensive line isn’t dominating like it should, and now both sides have to deal with the Iowa fronts.
The Hawkeyes are No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense, the run D didn’t allow Michigan to do much of anything, and no one has scored a rushing touchdown this season on this bunch.

Ohio State vs Iowa Prediction, Betting Lines

Quarterback Hank Brown and the Iowa offense will open it up a little bit, but the Ohio State defense has been good, just not the killer of the past few seasons, will flex a little muscle here. It’ll be a smart performance by the Buckeye offense, but it’ll bog down a bit with the ground game not doing enough to carry the load.
As always with Iowa, it’ll be a close, low-scoring game deep into the second half, but the Ohio State talent will come through in the final ten minutes.

Ohio State 27, Iowa 16
Latest Consensus Line: Ohio State -14.5, o/u: 45.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2.5
Must See Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Source: Yahoo Sports