Ohio State is headed back to the College GameDay spotlight, and this time the stage is Iowa City.
ESPN’s pregame show announced Sunday morning that it will make the trip for next weekend’s Buckeyes-Hawkeyes matchup, giving Ohio State its second GameDay appearance of the season. The Buckeyes were already featured earlier this year when they faced Texas, a game that turned into a rough one for Ryan Day’s team after a 20-point fourth-quarter lead slipped away and took the No. 1 ranking with it.
This week’s destination comes with a little extra weight attached. It’s the first time in 20 years that GameDay has been in Iowa City, and that alone should crank the atmosphere up before kickoff. Even without a night-game slot, the crowd figures to be loud and relentless when Ohio State walks into that environment.
Both teams earned the spotlight by winning on Saturday. Ohio State handled Illinois 42-19, while Iowa stunned Michigan on the final play of the game. That result landed with extra punch after what happened in Week 1.
For the Buckeyes, the matchup brings a clear challenge: clean up the run defense. Illinois was able to run for 199 yards against Ohio State, and that’s the kind of number the Buckeyes can’t afford to keep allowing. Iowa didn’t pile up huge rushing totals against TTUN, finishing with 58 yards, but the Hawkeyes are built to squeeze the game down and make every possession matter.
That’s the identity Ohio State has to be ready for. Iowa wants to shorten the game, lean on defense, and keep opponents from finding any rhythm. Jeremiah Smith should still be the most electric player on the field, but the Buckeyes need more than one star to carry the load.
The timing of the GameDay announcement also lines up with where Ohio State’s season is headed next. The Buckeyes are entering the hardest stretch of their schedule, with road games at Iowa, Indiana, and USC coming up.
All three are ranked right now, though USC could slide after losing to USC. Beyond that, Ohio State still has Oregon and TTUN waiting in November.
That leaves little room for error if the Buckeyes want to stay on track for the College Football Playoff. They can probably survive one loss, but more than two would make the path a lot harder.
A win by double digits next weekend would go a long way toward calming the concerns left behind by the Texas collapse. Ohio State was better in the fourth quarter against Illinois, but the Buckeyes still need to prove they can finish that way against a quality opponent. College GameDay will be there to take in the scene and set the table for what should be a major Saturday in Iowa City.
In Other News...
Jeremiah Smith Looks Like A Heisman Star And An Ohio State Warning
Jeremiah Smith keeps making the impossible look routine, and his latest outing against Illinois only hardened the case that he belongs in the Heisman conversation. With 12 catches, four touchdowns and 217 receiving yards, the Ohio State star again looked like the player most capable of tilting a game on his own, giving the Buckeyes the kind of explosive presence that can carry an offense when everything is clicking around him.
Smiths rise, though, comes with a familiar Ohio State undercurrent: the better he gets, the more obvious it becomes how much the rest of the offense has to do to match him. The Buckeyes can lean on his production and his star power for only so long before they need more consistent help elsewhere, because as dazzling as Smith has been, the burden on him has started to look like both a weapon and a warning. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Heads Into Kinnick With A Problem Iowa Can Expose
Ohio State left its win over Illinois with plenty to like on the scoreboard, but not nearly as much to feel secure about on defense. Giving up close to 200 rushing yards is the kind of detail that tends to linger, especially with a trip to Kinnick Stadium next on the schedule and an Iowa team that just knocked off ranked Michigan with a late touchdown.
Iowa does not need style points to make a game uncomfortable. The Hawkeyes are built around physical football and ball control, which is exactly the sort of formula that can stress a defense still trying to clean up its run fits and consistency. Buckeye fans have seen this movie before, too, including the 2017 loss in Iowa City, and the setting suggests Ohio State may have to prove it can handle a grinder before it can move on to bigger ambitions. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Title Hopes Face A Stretch That Will Tell Everything
Ohio State has steadied itself after the gut punch in Week 2, when a 20-point fourth-quarter lead against Texas slipped away. Since then, the Buckeyes have handled Kent State and Illinois, and they still sit fifth in the rankings with advanced metrics that say their national title path remains very much alive. Even with the early setback, there is enough talent and enough rsum left to keep the conversation pointed toward January.
The next stretch, though, is where the season starts asking harder questions. Ohio State needs a better running game and a tougher run defense to hold up against what is coming, beginning with an undefeated Iowa team that will tell a lot about how sturdy this roster really is. The Buckeyes do not need perfection yet, but they do need proof that the issues exposed by Texas are getting fixed before the schedule gets any less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]