Also oursNFL Schedulethis site, for the NFLThe CFB Kingodds and projections — a paid site
CFB Schedule college football
CFBNFL
Wk 5 · 2026

Ohio State Buckeyes at Iowa Hawkeyes — Sat, Oct 3

Sat, Oct 3 · Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA · CBS FINAL

Weather

No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
#5 Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten · 5-1
31
at
3:30pET
OSU -14.5 · total 46.5 DraftKings opened +14 · 0.5 toward OSU
Ratings differential OSU by 8.0
#14 Iowa Hawkeyes
Big Ten · 5-1
14

What is at stake

A Big Ten game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race. Ohio State is ranked #5 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04). Iowa is ranked #20 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04).

What the ratings imply

The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers: The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus 2.4 points of home field. It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026 games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have changed.

Efficiency · 2026 ratings

Ohio State: +26.7#3
Efficiency margin
Iowa: +16.3#11
Ohio State: 44.4
Offense (pts/100)
Iowa: 37.5
Ohio State: 8.6
Defense (pts/100)
Iowa: 12.1
Ohio State: 68.7
Pace (plays/g)
Iowa: 61.7
Ohio State: 7.33
Yards / play
Iowa: 6.54
Ohio State: 4.00
Yards / play allowed
Iowa: 4.58
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.

Team stats · 2026 per game

Ohio State: 42.7
Points / game
Iowa: 31.0
Ohio State: 13.2
Points allowed
Iowa: 14.5
Ohio State: 504
Yards / game
Iowa: 403
Ohio State: 247
Yards allowed
Iowa: 293
Ohio State: 151
Pass yds allowed
Iowa: 209
Ohio State: 96
Rush yds allowed
Iowa: 85
Ohio State: 1.00
Turnovers / game
Iowa: 0.50
From completed 2026 box scores; defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.

Ohio State form

W 45-16vs MDW 31-14at IOWAW 42-19vs ILLW 59-3vs KENTL 23-24at TEX
2026 season

Iowa form

W 41-24at WASHL 14-31vs OSUW 20-19at MICHW 55-0vs UNIW 16-13vs ISU
2026 season

Ohio State this season

Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Against the spread4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Over / under4-2 · 67% (6 games)

Iowa this season

Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Against the spread4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Over / under2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.

Common opponents · 4

OpponentOhio StateIowa
Illinois
Big Ten
vs W 42-19 previewat Wk 12 · scheduled preview
Northwestern
Big Ten
vs Wk 11 · scheduled previewat Wk 10 · scheduled preview
Nebraska
Big Ten
at Wk 12 · scheduled previewvs Wk 13 · scheduled preview
Michigan
Big Ten
vs Wk 13 · scheduled previewat W 20-19 preview
Open these two in the comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.

Series history · 2006–2026

Since 2006, Ohio State leads 7–1 · Ohio State has won the last 3
8 meetings in 2006–2026 · average margin 11.9 points toward Ohio State
Yr DateResultSiteWon
20262026-10-03Ohio State 31 — 14 Iowaat IOWAOhio State
20242024-10-05Iowa 7 — 35 Ohio Stateat OSUOhio State
20222022-10-22Iowa 10 — 54 Ohio Stateat OSUOhio State
20172017-11-04Ohio State 24 — 55 Iowaat IOWAIowa
20132013-10-19Iowa 24 — 34 Ohio Stateat OSUOhio State
20102010-11-20Ohio State 20 — 17 Iowaat IOWAOhio State
20092009-11-14Iowa 24 — 27 Ohio Stateat OSUOhio State
20062006-09-30Ohio State 38 — 17 Iowaat IOWAOhio State

Ohio State leaders 2026 regular season

PassingJulian Sayin QB #10103/142, 1530 YDS, 13 TD, 1 INT
Luke Fahey QB #139/11, 203 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT
RushingBo Jackson RB #2566 CAR, 353 YDS, 2 TD
Ja'Kobi Jackson RB #2445 CAR, 278 YDS, 6 TD
Isaiah West RB #3222 CAR, 80 YDS, 1 TD
ReceivingJeremiah Smith WR #444 REC, 823 YDS, 9 TD
Devin McCuin WR #317 REC, 245 YDS, 2 TD
Brandon Inniss WR #110 REC, 147 YDS, 1 TD
Brock Boyd WR #116 REC, 110 YDS
Defense
TacklesEarl Little Jr. S #126
Payton Pierce LB #2626
Jaylen McClain S #820
SacksKenyatta Jackson Jr. DE #23
Riley Pettijohn LB #52
Qua Russaw DE #41
InterceptionsJaylen McClain S #82
Tarvos Alford LB #171
Riley Pettijohn LB #51
full roster and per-player history

Iowa leaders 2026 regular season

PassingHank Brown QB #978/124, 832 YDS, 5 TD, 1 INT
Jeremy Hecklinski QB #1032/51, 410 YDS, 4 TD, 1 INT
RushingKamari Moulton RB #2876 CAR, 519 YDS, 4 TD
Xavier Williams RB #2620 CAR, 170 YDS, 3 TD
Braeden Jackson RB #2219 CAR, 170 YDS, 2 TD
ReceivingTony Diaz WR #1428 REC, 329 YDS, 1 TD
Reece Vander Zee WR #216 REC, 247 YDS, 3 TD
DJ Vonnahme TE #8118 REC, 219 YDS, 2 TD
Addison Ostrenga TE #878 REC, 75 YDS, 1 TD
Defense
TacklesCam Buffington LB #3352
Jayden Montgomery LB #3635
Zach Lutmer DB #634
SacksJoseph Anderson DE #843
Preston Ries LB #462.5
Bryce Hawthorne DL #962.5
InterceptionsDeshaun Lee DB #82
Rashad Godfrey Jr. DB #71
Jacob Wallace DB #111
full roster and per-player history
These are regular-season totals for the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year, taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still appears against the year he earned it; the roster pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is. A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.