Ohio State enjoyed a week of rest after jumping out to a 6-0 start to the season. The Buckeyes devastated opponents during the first half of their campaign, outscoring their adversaries by a combined total of 293-94 across their first six games.
Although Ohio State has walked through the first half of its schedule with relative ease, the Buckeyes now embark on a more challenging stretch during their final six games of the regular season — headlined by a road matchup against Penn State and The Game to close the regular season. Ohio State’s first test out of its off week is an Iowa Hawkeyes team, which has been plagued by offensive miscues en route to a 3-3 record.
Check back every Monday at BuckeyeSports.com for a brief preview of the Buckeyes’ upcoming opponent, with stories and features throughout the week.
OPPONENT: Iowa Hawkeyes
After securing the Big Ten West crown behind a 10-2 record in 2021, Iowa was once again expected to be a contender in the division entering this season. While the wheels fell off in Iowa’s final two games of the 2021 campaign — which included a blowout loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Championship and a tight defeat in the Citrus Bowl at the hands of Kentucky — expectations remained high for the Hawkeyes in 2022.
Iowa’s offense was concerning last season, ranking second-to-last in the Big Ten in total offense and 10th in the conference in scoring offense, but now it’s a full-blown disaster. The Hawkeyes average just 14.7 points per game, sitting at the fourth-lowest mark in the country, while ranking dead last in the nation in total offense — producing just 238.7 yards per game. Iowa has only produced three double-digit scoring outputs to this point in the season — one of which was boosted by a pair of defensive touchdowns against Rutgers.
A big reason for Iowa’s offensive woes has been poor play from third-year starting quarterback Spencer Petras, who will walk into Ohio Stadium with a 54.0 percent completion percentage and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2-3. While Petras shoulders much of the blame, Iowa’s rushing attack has also struggled — producing 82.7 yards per game, which is the fourth-worst mark in the country.
While Iowa’s offense has been ineffective this season, the Hawkeyes still boast one of the nation’s best defenses. The Hawkeyes rank seventh in the country in total defense, allowing 265.0 yards per contest, while allowing opponents to score just 9.8 points against them — the third-best mark in the nation.
GAME INFO: Ohio Stadium, 12 p.m., FOX
This will be just Ohio State’s second-noon kick-off this season, with the only other early start coming against Arkansas State in Week 2. The Buckeyes took care of business in its only other noon start, demolishing the Red Wolves 45-12 — a game in which the Ohio State defense held Arkansas State without a touchdown.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 65th meeting between Ohio State and Iowa. The Buckeyes hold a 46-15-3 record against the Hawkeyes, with the largest margin of victory coming in an 83-21 triumph over Iowa in 1950.
Despite Ohio State’s success against Iowa historically, it is the Hawkeyes who had the last laugh in the all-time series. The last time these two teams met, Iowa utilized four interceptions off of the arm of then-Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett to stun fifth-ranked Ohio State 55-24 — ultimately ending the Buckeyes’ hopes for a playoff appearance in 2017.
Iowa’s last win at Ohio Stadium came in a 16-9 victory over the Buckeyes on Nov. 2, 1991.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time/Result |
| Sept. 3 | Notre Dame | Columbus, Ohio | W 21-10 |
| Sept. 10 | Arkansas State | Columbus, Ohio | W 45-12 |
| Sept. 17 | Toledo | Columbus, Ohio | W 77-21 |
| Sept. 24 | Wisconsin | Columbus, Ohio | W 52-21 |
| Oct. 1 | Rutgers | Columbus, Ohio | W 49-10 |
| Oct. 8 | Michigan State | East Lansing, Mich. | W 49-20 |
| Oct. 22 | Iowa | Columbus, Ohio | 12 p.m., FOX |
| Oct. 29 | Penn State | State College, Pa. | 12 p.m., FOX |
| Nov. 5 | Northwestern | Evanston, Ill. | TBD |
| Nov. 12 | Indiana | Columbus, Ohio | TBD |
| Nov. 19 | Maryland | College Park, Md. | TBD |
| Nov. 26 | Michigan | Columbus, Ohio | 12 p.m., FOX |
| Dec. 3 | Big Ten Championship | Indianapolis, Ind. | 8 p.m. FOX |
