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For the sake of this exercise, the Buckeyes are now really starting to dive into the teeth of the Big Ten schedule with a home date against Iowa now on the table. Sure, the Buckeyes did have to go on the road in week two and take on the defending Pac-12 champions in Oregon, but there is something different when you get into league play and go against teams that get scouted every year.

And yes, Ohio State has not played the Hawkeyes for a couple of seasons but the crossover tape is there and don't believe for a second that anyone has forgotten what happened the last time these two teams played, on either side.

Iowa is coming off of a 10-3 season in 2019 and while the Hawkeyes only went 6-3 in conference play, they answered a lot of questions when they hammered USC in the Holiday Bowl by 25 points.

You are never quite sure what you are going to get out of Iowa each year, outside of the fact that the Hawkeyes are generally good for seven or eight wins, you have to go back to 2012 to see a team that did not win at least seven (won four). In fact, the Hawkeyes have won at least seven games in all but five years under Kirk Ferentz and two of those seasons were his first two.

Series History: Ohio State leads the series 47-15-3 (includes a vacated OSU win)

Last time played: It was a dark day in Ohio State history as the Buckeyes went to Iowa City in 2017 and were throttled in a 55-24 bludgeoning. Before that game, Ohio State had won 13 of the last 14 against the Hawkeyes and have not lost in Columbus since 1991.

J.T. Barrett had a rough game with four interceptions thrown as Ohio State saw a 17-all tie turn into a nightmare shortly after Nick Bosa was ejected for targeting in the first half of the game.

Iowa would go on and throw for five touchdowns, targeting its tight ends and the Buckeyes, while knowing that was the plan, could do little about it.

Ohio State was held to 163 yards on the ground but was also held to just 30 carries as the game got away quickly and forced Ohio State to throw, a lot. Four of those passes would fall in the arms of Iowa defenders and the then No. 6 Buckeyes would get humiliated in this game and that loss undoubtedly kept a Big Ten Champion Buckeyes team out of the College Football Playoff.

This could be a sneaky-tough game for Ohio State. Coming off of an open-week, being on the road the next two weeks against Michigan State and Penn State on the heels of this and just the fact of how the Buckeyes lost the last time these two teams played.

One thing will be for certain however, Ohio State is not going to look past these guys.

Many of the names from 2017 have moved on, but the memory will still haunt guys, even guys that were in high school when the game happened. That 2017 team was good enough to go to the playoff and it took one bad effort for that all to disappear.

There is little margin for error and this team knows that applies each and every year.

This Iowa team may be a little more advanced on the offensive side of the ball than the defensive side of the ball and that will do the Hawkeyes well in the Big Ten West, but this might not bode well against Ohio State, if the Hawkeyes are not able to slow down an Ohio State team that should be able to put points up in bunches.

I think this could be another showcase game for the Ohio State run game and really for Justin Fields as a runner, as Iowa will still be looking to solidify a defensive line that might not be on the same page at this point of the season.

That does not mean that Ohio State won't take its shots in the throw game and I expect some of those plays to hit, but sometimes you have a feeling going into a game that you just can't get away from and this is one of those where the Buckeyes will rush for more than 250 yards on the ground and try and turn this into a bit of an old-school type of Big Ten game, at least in terms of what we are used to seeing with a true dual-threat like Fields at quarterback.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette may be one of the top players on offense that Ohio State sees this season at wide receiver. He won't have Nate Stanley throwing to him any longer, but this guy is a match-up problem for most teams. We will learn in this game which guys for Ohio State are really ready to carry that #BIA banner moving forward. But it is going to come down to Iowa's ability to run the ball while it is on offense. I don't expect that to happen in this game, at least not in a major way and the Buckeyes' ground game will be the difference in a game that the Buckeyes really want to win in an effort to exorcise some demons of the past. Ohio State 34 Iowa 17

Additional Stat Line: Master Teague - 18 carries, 104 yards, 2 TD

This would have the potential to be a game that could spell doom for the Buckeyes, but Iowa on the road is much different than Iowa at home.

While the Buckeyes still have a sour taste in their mouth from the 2017 debacle that eliminated Ohio State from playoff contention, it will be near impossible for the Justin Fields and company to have a worse outing than J.T. Barrett and the rest of the Buckeyes had in Iowa City.

This will be the game that Fields elevates himself to the front of the Heisman list, and it could allow him to deliver a Heisman moment early in the season. The Hawkeyes boasted one of the top defenses in the country in 2019, allowing the fifth fewest points in the country, but they never played an offense as dynamic as Ryan Day's group. I expect Fields to use his legs more than he ever has in his Ohio State career, as he will need to adlib some first downs against a usually sound Hawkeye defense. Fields's current rushing career high came Nov. 17, 2018 against Massachusetts; he would tally 100 rushing yards for Georgia to go along with one rushing touchdown and a pair of passing touchdowns.

Defensively, I expect Ohio State to find a lot of success. In a matchup at Michigan last season, Iowa could only muster a field goal in a touchdown loss to the Wolverines, and while I don't see as big of a struggle for Iowa in this one, I still see points being hard to come by for a team that shockingly dropped 55 on the Buckeyes three years ago. I would expect the secondary to really flash their athleticism and provide the Buckeyes with a distinct advantage through the air.

Ohio State will struggle through stretches, but explosive moments will allow them to win comfortably. Ohio State 38 Iowa 17

Additional Stat Line: Justin Fields - 104 rushing yards, 4 total touchdowns

If there is any game this season where Ohio State will not be caught looking ahead, it absolutely will be this one.

Urban Meyer may not be at the helm anymore and most of the players in that game have since moved on (Tuf Borland and Justin Hilliard are the only Buckeyes still remaining that recorded a statistic), but don't get it twisted, this will still have the moniker of a revenge game heading into the matchup.

While Nate Stanley was never necessarily an electric player for the Hawkeyes, his veteran presence as a three-year starter will be sorely missed. Iowa will most likely start redshirt sophomore Spencer Petras, who has thrown just 11 passes, and have a redshirt freshman and true freshman quarterback to bring up the rear.

Iowa had the fourth best scoring defense in the country last season and stands to be among one of the best again in 2020, so as usual for the Hawkeyes, it might come down to whether or not the offense can perform.

It won't help Petras that right tackle Tristan Wirfs was one of the top 10 picks in last week's NFL Draft, so he'll have another concern in addition to learning the college game. Ohio State's defensive line may be able to eat against the Hawkeyes, especially if pressure can stay consistent on Petras.

As for Ohio State's offense, while Iowa has a great defense, it's hard to identify a spot where the Hawkeyes will be able to stop the Buckeyes. Fields should be able to air it out and with a trio (quartet?) of healthy running backs by this point in the season, Ohio State shouldn't have any issue moving the ball, especially this time around on their home turf.

The main story surrounding this game will be Iowa's 2017 upset of the Buckeyes, but make no mistake, the Hawkeyes won't catch that lightning in a bottle again. Ohio State 39, Iowa 10

Additional Stat Line: Zach Harrison - 2 sacks, 5 tackles