College Football Spread - #10 Iowa Hawkeyes at #11 Ohio State Buckeyes
by Dave D
Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio State Buckeyes
Saturday, November 14th – Ohio Stadium - 3:30 PM ET
College Football Spread: Ohio State -17, O/U: 36.5
Iowa: The Week That Was
The week was a complete and unmitigated disaster for the Hawkeyes. Coach Kirk Ferentz, in the span of roughly three and a half hours, saw his team lose a lot more than one football game to Northwestern, by a 17-10 score. The Hawkeyes lost their first game of 2009, knocking them out of the national title chase. The boys from Iowa City dropped out of the Big Ten lead, suddenly jeopardizing their chances of making the Rose Bowl. Worst of all, Iowa lost starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who – despite his penchant for coughing up turnovers – has been golden in clutch situations throughout the season. Backup quarterback James Vandenberg, a completely untested 19-year-old freshman, was pressed into service against Northwestern, but could only manage nine completions in 27 attempts, with one interception. The day could not have been any worse for the Iowa football family.
Ohio State: The Week That Was
The past weekend was as good for Ohio State as it was horrible for Iowa. While the Hawkeyes were immersed in total misery against Northwestern, the Buckeyes – left for dead a few weeks ago following a bad loss at Purdue – jumped to the top of the Big Ten standings after throttling Penn State, 24-7, in a classic display of (Jim) Tressel Ball.
In an old-fashioned beatdown, the Buckeyes dominated on the line of scrimmage, committed few mistakes, and smothered Penn State’s pop-gun offense, limiting the Nittany Lions to only 201 total yards. On offense, OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor wasn’t outstanding – he completed only eight passes in 17 attempts – but he made several dynamic plays and avoided a single turnover. Pryor put his team in position to win and became a productive presence for Tressel, his greatly-relieved coach and mentor.
The Week That Is:
It’s not hard to figure out the college football betting odds on this contest: The Buckeyes, at home, with their defense in full flight and Iowa having to trot out a wobbly and uncertain backup quarterback, should certainly win and punch their ticket to the Rose Bowl. The question is, will Ohio State roll up enough points? Tressel, always a conservative coach (they don’t call him Mister Sweater Vest for nothing), will want to play this game the old Big Ten way: Defense, kicking game, field position. Tressel will emphasize the need for his quarterback, Mr. Pryor, to avoid turnovers and allow the defense to do most of the work.
If Ohio State’s defense gets an early pick-six and forces a stream of early turnovers from young James Vandenberg, this Big 10 title game will get ugly. But if Iowa can merely protect the ball, it’s entirely possible that the Hawkeyes – while not winning – will at least keep this game within shouting distance. It feels like a 20-6 ballgame at the Horseshoe.
Football Betting Pick: Iowa +16.5
