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Iowa football 2024 early opponent preview: Ohio State
Buckeyes have finished in top 10 of AP Poll, CFP rankings in every year of CFP era
Editor’s note: Fifth in a 12-part series previewing each of Iowa’s 2024 regular-season opponents.
IOWA CITY — Ohio State football has gone through a relative rough stretch in the last three seasons. Well, rough by Ohio State standards.
The Buckeyes have lost to archrival Michigan in three straight seasons and missed the College Football Playoff in two of the last three years.
Rough for Ohio State would be highly enviable for almost any other college football program.
In every year of the CFP era, the Buckeyes have finished no worse than No. 7 in the final CFP rankings and no worse than No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll. They have not suffered more than two losses in a single season since 2011.
This year is expected to be no exception, as Ohio State is widely projected to be a top-five team in 2024.
Ex-Kansas State quarterback Will Howard transferred to Ohio State after setting a Wildcat program record with 48 career touchdown passes in his four years there. Star players at skill positions such as running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka are back.
Defensively, edge rusher J.T. Tuimoloau and cornerback Denzel Burke could be potential first-round picks in next year’s NFL Draft. The secondary made a splash in the transfer portal as well with the addition of ex-Alabama cornerback Caleb Downs — last year’s SEC Freshman of the Year and the first Alabama freshman to lead the team in tackles.
Iowa vs. Ohio State: 3 things to watch
- Can Iowa avoid early turnovers? Iowa’s 2022 trip to Columbus was a cautionary tale of the cost of early turnovers. By halftime, Iowa already had two interceptions, a lost fumble and a failed fourth-down conversion attempt, all while in Iowa territory.
- Emeka Egbuka vs. Iowa’s secondary. Egbuka is one of the most dangerous wide receivers in college football. Even when he went up against Iowa’s stalwart secondary in 2022, he had six receptions on nine targets for 80 yards. More than a third of his yards came after the catch.
- How much can Iowa capitalize on offensive opportunities? The Hawkeyes’ 35 red-zone trips in 2023 led to only 14 touchdowns. Iowa is not going to beat a behemoth like Ohio State by scoring three points at a time.
2024 prognosis
Ohio State again comfortably resides in the top tier of college football. Essentially everything would have to go right for the Hawkeyes to have a shot at an upset in Columbus.
Iowa football 2024 early opponent previews
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Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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