SPORTS BETTING

• Iowa at Ohio State

  Posted on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT by GetChalk

  
  

  The Iowa Hawkeyes wanted a piece of the Ohio State Buckeyes so bad they forgot to show up for their game against the Northwestern Wildcats last weekend.
   
  Iowa fell flat on its face in a classic look-ahead spot, losing not only the game but any hopes of a BCS title shot. The Hawkeyes laid an 17-10 egg to the Wildcats, failing to cover as two-touchdown favorites, and ruined their undefeated season.
   
  The loss opens the door for Ohio State, which is coming off a huge win over the Penn State Nittany Lions last Saturday. The Buckeyes rolled the Nittany Lions, 24-7, as 5.5-point road underdogs and put themselves in position to take the lead in the Big Ten with a win against Iowa this weekend.
   
  Oddsmakers have set OSU as a 17-point home favorite for this conference clash, which may seem a little big when looking at both teams’ overall records. However, the Hawkeyes will likely take the field without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who was injured in the loss to Northwestern on Saturday.
   
  Stanzi, who is fifth in the Big Ten in passing with over 218 yards per game, suffered a sprained ankle after he was hit in the end zone, fumbling the ball which was recovered for a Wildcats touchdown in the second quarter. He is currently listed as doubtful for this weekend's game in Columbus.
   
  The Hawkeyes will hand the ball to freshman backup James Vandenberg, who was 9-for-27 and had his first pass of the game picked off in place of the injured Stanzi on Saturday. Iowa had 160 yards of offense and a touchdown before Stanzi went down. It finished the game with only 281 gains on offense.
   
  Entering the Horseshoe is an intimidating task for even the most seasoned passer let alone a quarterback playing in just his third collegiate game and his first NCAA start. The Hawkeyes' pass attack is ranked sixth in the conference and the offensive line has allowed 22 sacks on the year – fourth worst in the Big Ten.
   
  Take those numbers and put them against the premier defense in the conference, which ranks sixth in the nation in yards against, and bettors might not give the Hawkeyes a snowball’s chance in hell of staying afloat in the Big Ten.
   
  The one thing that could help Iowa pull off the upset is if the Buckeyes are looking past them and to the matchup with the rival Michigan Wolverines in the final week of the season. Two years ago, Ohio State had an undefeated season spoiled in a similar situation when it looked past Illinois in Week 11, losing 28-21 as 15.5-point home favorites.
   
  Ohio State flexed its defensive prowess against PSU last weekend, holding the Nittany Lions to only one touchdown on 201 yards of total offense. Penn State quarterback Daryl Clark, who scrambled for the team's only score, was sacked twice and intercepted once, finishing the day with only 125 yards passing.
   
  On the ground, the Buckeyes’ stop unit stuffed PSU standout running back Evan Royster for just 36 yards while totaling four tackles for a loss which added up to minus 19 yards for the Lions. Ohio State is giving up just over 85 yards rushing per game this season – third in the country – and has only allowed two touchdowns on the ground in conference play.
   
  On the other side of the ball, the Buckeyes’ offense is beginning to pick up steam. In the last three weeks since the stunning loss to Purdue, OSU has outscored opponents 107-14. Much of that success has to do with the continuing maturation of quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
   
  The sophomore playcaller is relying more on his arm and has passed for just under 500 yards in that span, but more importantly has a touchdown-to-interception count of 5-to-1 in those three wins. Of course, Pryor has also rumbled for some huge games on the ground in recent weeks. He's compiled 237 yards rushing and has run in three touchdowns in the three games heading into this weekend.
   
  These Big Ten teams have gone 2-2 over/under in their last four meetings. Ohio State is currently 2-7-1 over/under heading into Week 11, while Iowa owns a 3-5-1 over/under mark on the year. Last year's 38-17 Buckeyes win played over the 43.5-point total. That game also marked the eighth straight time the betting favorite has covered in this series.