Ohio State at Iowa Betting Tips – Hawkeyes To Cover As College Football Underdogs

Leigh Copson

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Last updated: Mon 28 Sep 2026 10:12

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Ohio State likely wins, but Iowa is favoured to cover the spread
Iowa has covered as an underdog in its last six games
Hawkeyes' defense and home record make them a strong pick with the points

(Getty Images)

Ohio State at Iowa Betting Tips

Key Numbers – Will Iowa Make It 4 Covers In 5 Games?
Ohio State Lead All-Time Head-To-Head; Won Last Meeting
Ohio State 3-1 After Back-To-Back Wins
Iowa Boast Perfect Record After Upset Win

Ohio State are expected to win, but miss out on covering the spread.

The Buckeyes are the better team, but it is tough to ignore how strong Iowa have been defensively, and how good they have been at covering as an underdog over the past 13 months.

Key Numbers – Will Iowa Make It 4 Covers In 5 Games?

Iowa have covered in 3 of their 4 games
Iowa have covered in each of their last 6 games as a betting underdog
Iowa have not lost by two touchdowns at home since 2021
The Under has cashed in 3 of Iowa’s first 4 games

Ohio State Lead All-Time Head-To-Head; Won Last Meeting

Ohio State lead the all-time series 17-3
Ohio State won 35-7 when the two teams last met in October 2024

Ohio State 3-1 After Back-To-Back Wins

Ohio State have rebounded from their first loss of the season with back-to-back wins to improve to 3-1.

The Buckeyes opened the season with a 58-3 blowout of Ball State at home, but they faced a much tougher challenge a week later.

They paid a visit to Texas for a rematch of last season's opener, and this time they came out on the losing and as they fell 24-23 to the Longhorns.

Ohio State issued an immediate response a week later, as they eased to a 59-3 win over Kent State.

The Buckeyes then kicked off their Big Ten conference schedule with a 42-19 success at home to Illinois.

Iowa Boast Perfect Record After Upset Win

Iowa enter this matchup on the back of an upset win that improved their record to 4-0.

The Hawkeyes kicked off campaign with a 44-0 shutout of Northern Illinois at home.

They backed that up a week later as they narrowly beat rivals Iowa State 16-13 in the latest Cy-Hawk showdown.

Iowa's perfect start continued a week later as they played host to Northern Iowa, and they did not give up a single point as they won 55-0.

That gave the Hawkeyes a perfect record heading into the Big Ten opener at Michigan, and they stunned the 'Big House' with a last-gasp touchdown to knock off the Wolverines, 20-19.

Verdict

Ohio State @ Iowa

Iowa stunned the ‘Big House’ a week ago, but we are not expecting them to upset this strong Ohio State group.

However, they have routinely covered as an underdog since the start of last season, and it has been a long time since they were blown out at home, so give us the Hawkeyes and a couple of free touchdowns.

Iowa +13.5

Spread

@9/10 - 4 Units

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

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Bet at bet365

Under 45.5

Total Points

@9/10 - 2 Units

Bet £10 Get £10

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US sports writer covering the NFL, NBA, NHL, boxing and MMA, with previews, predictions and betting tips across the major American leagues.

During his career at the Press Association and online sports sites including FreeTips and ExpertPicks.com, he has covered some of the biggest sporting events on the planet, including the Super Bowl, the Champions League Final and the World Cup Final.

He has also covered almost every major boxing match and UFC fight card during this time.. His specialist sports are American Football, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts and Football.

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