No. 14 Iowa is back in the kind of spotlight that can turn a Saturday into a scene.
After opening Big Ten play with a win over Michigan, the Hawkeyes now welcome No. 4 Ohio State to Iowa City for a top-15 conference showdown on Saturday afternoon. It’s the Buckeyes’ first trip to Iowa City since 2017, and that memory is still fresh for Iowa fans.
This one already has the feel of a major event. ESPN’s College GameDay and the Pat McAfee Show are coming to town, adding another layer to a matchup that was already near the top of the weekend slate among Power Four games. The Hawkeyes themselves won’t be out in the crowd before kickoff, but the setting figures to be loud and heavy on pageantry.
The attention isn’t just on the stage. It’s on the players, too.
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith have both pushed themselves into the Heisman conversation. Sayin, a finalist last year who finished fourth in voting, has been in the mix since the preseason, though his standing dipped some after the loss to Texas.
Smith may be the bigger headline right now. He arrives in Iowa City after going for 217 yards and four touchdowns against Illinois last week, and he’s averaging well over 100 receiving yards per game.
Together, they’ve given Ohio State a dangerous one-two punch that could be Iowa’s toughest defensive test of the season.
The challenge doesn’t stop there. Ohio State has also been sorting through some movement up front.
Right tackle Phillip Daniel was injured against Texas in Week 2 and hasn’t played since, forcing more shuffling along the offensive line. The Buckeyes already had some rotation during training camp, and Daniel’s absence only added to it.
Center Carson Hinzman and left guard Luke Montgomery remain the anchors, while Austin Siereveld has handled right tackle since the injury. The Big Ten injury reports should offer more clarity as the week goes on, but Ohio State’s line looked solid enough against Illinois, when Sayin wasn’t sacked.
That passing game is the heart of the problem for Iowa. Ohio State has piled up 1,461 passing yards in four games, is averaging more than 10 yards per attempt, and is putting up 365 passing yards per game.
The Buckeyes have also picked up 66 first downs through the air. Smith accounts for a big chunk of that production, but he’s hardly the only threat.
Five Ohio State players already have more than 100 receiving yards, and every one of them is averaging at least 26 yards per game. Iowa’s secondary has already been tested by Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, but this is another level entirely.
And then there’s the history hanging over the matchup.
Iowa fans know exactly what happened the last time Ohio State came to Kinnick Stadium. The Buckeyes were stunned in a 55-24 Iowa upset in 2017, a game Ryan Day experienced as co-offensive coordinator.
Day said he has blocked that game from his memory since then. Nine years later, the only two key people still on the sideline from that day are Day and Kirk Ferentz.
The programs, the Big Ten and the sport itself have all changed since that night. What happened in 2017 is part of the backdrop, not the script. If Iowa wants that kind of result again, this 2026 team has to write it for itself.
In Other News...
DJ Vonnahme Just Tapped Into A Feeling Iowa Fans Know Well
Iowas week four win over Michigan had the familiar grind-it-out feel that tends to travel well in September, especially against a defense that made the Hawkeyes earn every inch. The breakthrough came late through the passing game, turning a tight road test into a victory that carried more weight than a single mark in the standings. For a program built on patience and toughness, it also stood out as Iowas first road win over a ranked Big Ten opponent since 2015.
DJ Vonnahme saw enough of that finish to connect it with a memory Hawkeye fans still recognize, comparing the moment to Iowas notable 2009 win over Michigan State. It was the kind of reference that says as much about the mood around the program as the box score does, because when Iowa finds a way in that setting, it tends to stick with the team and its supporters for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Exposed A Michigan Problem Fans Still Cant Ignore
Michigans early season has already turned into a test of nerve, and the margins have been razor thin. Two of its first four games have come down to the final play, with the win over Western Michigan arriving amid plenty of controversy and the loss to Iowa following a last-second touchdown that left the Wolverines looking for answers.
Kyle Whittingham acknowledged the penalty issues that have followed the team and offered some context for the defensive approach on Iowas final snap, a sequence that will keep drawing scrutiny as the season goes on. For Michigan, the frustration is not just the result in the standings, but the sense that the same problems keep showing up when the game is hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Just Gave Fans A Reason To Believe This Team Is Different
Iowas win over Michigan offered a familiar script in one sense, with the defense carrying a heavy load, but the feel of the night was different. Even without much help on the ground, the Hawkeyes found enough timely plays to stay in control of the games most important moments, and that mattered against a program with Michigans roster talent and recruiting edge.
The broader takeaway is what will keep Iowa fans talking. The matchup still exposed some unevenness, from special teams issues to the passing games stretches of inconsistency, but it also showed a team that could absorb pressure and keep answering. Hank Browns performance and the defensive standouts gave the Hawkeyes evidence that this group may have more staying power than past versions, even if there are still parts of the operation that need cleaning up. [Read more 🡒]