ESPN College GameDay crew predicts the winner of Ohio State vs. Iowa
ESPN College GameDay crew predicts the winner of Ohio State vs. Iowa
Phil Harrison, Buckeyes WireSat, October 3, 2026 at 4:15 PM UTC
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After blowing the doors off Illinois, Ohio State hits the road for a top-15 matchup against Iowa in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes are coming off a last-second, emotional upset win over Michigan in Ann Arbor last week, and now they will try to double down and beat the Buckeyes to make a statement that last week wasn't a fluke
You know it's a big game when ESPN's College GameDay is there, and that's what we have here too. The guest picker for this game is former Iowa women's basketball superstar Caitlin Clark, and she joined Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit on the desk. Each made their picks on who will win this titanic struggle, and here's how each predicted the winner of what will be sure to be one of the games of the year.
Ohio State vs. Iowa prediction according to Desmond Howard
Howard rarely picks Ohio State because of his ties to Michigan, and he stayed on brand, picking Iowa to win and pull off the upset inside Kinnick Stadium.
Ohio State vs. Iowa prediction according to Nick Saban
Saban complimented the way Iowa plays and competes but thinks Ohio State has too much talent.
Ohio State vs. Iowa prediction according to Pat McAfee
McAfee always builds up the home crowd before pulling an audible, and he did the same here. He says that the football Gods called him to get shirtless, and after he did, he said Ohio State would still win and gave an O-H-I-O.
Ohio State vs. Iowa prediction according to Caitlin Clark
Of course Clark picked the Hawkeyes. She said the Iowa defense will rattle Julian Sayin and win behind the home crowd.
Ohio State vs. Iowa prediction according to Kirk Herbstreit
Herbstreit built up the Iowa environment and the crowd, but also picked Ohio State because it has too much firepower.
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Ohio State vs. Iowa summary of predictions from College GameDay crew
Desmond Howard | Iowa over Ohio State
Nick Saban | Ohio State over Iowa
Pat McAfee | Ohio State over Iowa
Caitlin Clark (guest picker) | Iowa over Ohio State
Kirk Herbstreit | Ohio State over Iowa
And ... there you have it. It was a mixed bag between the panel, with three picking Ohio State and two picking Iowa, though those two have a reason and allegiances to point to. The game is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Follow us here at Buckeyes Wire for live updates, including the score, highlights, and analysis before, during, and after.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: ESPN College GameDay crew predicts the winner of Ohio State vs. Iowa
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