College Football Week 8 Odds, Picks & Predictions: Ohio State vs. Iowa (2022)

Let’s take a look at the College Football Week 8 odds, picks, and predictions for: Ohio State vs. Iowa.

And check out our other College Football Week 8 game previews:

• Tulsa vs. Temple
• UAB vs. Western Kentucky
• Syracuse vs. Clemson
• UNLV vs. Notre Dame
• Texas vs. Oklahoma State
• Ole Miss vs. LSU
• Purdue vs. Wisconsin
• Mississippi State vs. Alabama
• Minnesota vs. Penn State
• Washington vs. California
• UCLA vs. Oregon
• Rutgers vs. Indiana
• New Mexico vs. Fresno State
• Louisiana-Monroe vs. Army
• Navy vs. Houston
• East Carolina vs. UCF
• Ohio vs. Northern Illinois
• Vanderbilt vs. Missouri
• Hawaii vs. Colorado State
• Duke vs. Miami
• FIU vs. Charlotte
• Wake Forest vs. Boston College
• Georgia Southern vs. Old Dominion

Check out Thor Nystrom’s Week 8 College Football Power Rankings >>

College Football Week 8 Odds, Picks & Prediction: Ohio State vs. Iowa

I understand that the defense for Iowa has been playing at a historically great level so far. The only team to score more than 10 points on them was Michigan, and that was only 27. Iowa has been grinding up opponents and spitting them out on the defensive side, but they are offering next to nothing on offense, and that's why I'm taking Ohio State and the over.

Sure, Iowa has been putting the brakes on every offense they face, but let's not forget about the Ohio State offense smashing every defense put in front of them. Outside of the opening game against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes have scored at least 45 points on each opponent. There are a few injury concerns for Ohio State going into this week. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, considered the #1 WR prospect coming into the year, will play but is most likely less than 100%, and RBs Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson are both dealing with undisclosed injuries. I still have confidence in the OSU offense because of the crazy depth of this team. Seven of their eight receiving options on their two-deep depth chart were rated 95 or higher by 247, and they rank #1 in overall offense and receiving according to PFF. Third-string freshman RB Dallan Hayden is a 4-Star recruit and already has handled at least eight carries per game in the last four.

Iowa is 2nd in scoring, 3rd in passing, and 21st in rushing defense statistically but ranks below 100 in every offensive category. I haven't even mentioned that Ohio State's defense ranks top 10 in all three of those defensive categories, and that's really where the difference is for me in this game. If Ohio State comes out swinging with a few scoring drives, they are going to make an already bad offense even more one-dimensional while trying to play catch up. The headlines are all about the best offense in the nation against the best defense in the nation, but this is a lopsided game on the other side, and I think Ohio State dominates both ways in this one.

Bet: Ohio State -29.5 (-112 at FanDuel Sportsbook) and Over 49.5 (-105 at BetMGM)

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