Ohio State will be no easy task for the Iowa football team.

The Buckeyes, a 17.5-point favorite to win the game, comes into Kinnick on a high. The Buckeyes are will be just a week removed from their huge comeback win over Penn State, in which J.T. Barrett and Company outscored the Nittany Lions 19-3 in the fourth quarter to knock off the No. 2 team in the final seconds.

Barrett, Ohio State’s senior quarterback, completed 16-straight passes to close out the game and threw for 328 yards with 4 touchdowns.

Iowa, on the other hand, had a tough time moving the ball against a not-so-great Minnesota defense last weekend. The Hawkeyes did come away with a 17-10 win, but did not leave with much momentum heading in the big matchup on Saturday.

Iowa’s first and foremost concern will be containing Barrett, a threat both through the air and on the ground. With 2,620 all-purpose yards in the first eight games, Barrett is a force to be reckoned with.

“He’s a winner. When I watch film, the guy’s a winner,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “But this guy is just a really accomplished football player. And to lead your team back the way he did the other night against a really good football team, those are two outstanding teams playing against each other. Doesn’t happen by accident.”

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However, Barrett isn’t the only thing on Iowa’s mind. The Buckeye defensive line is one of the best Iowa will face all season — Ferentz noted how hard it must be for the defensive coordinator to pick the starters because they are all so good.

In the front, Ohio State lines up 2016 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the year Tyquan Lewis, Bednarik Award semifinalist Nick Bosa, Sam Hubbard, Jalyn Holmes, and Dre’Mont Jones. The group averages 8.9 tackles for a loss per game.

“They’re super physical and fast, and they do a lot of things that other teams can’t do on defense because of how athletic they are,” Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley said.

Iowa, which hasn’t had the most success with its running game this season, will have a tough time against the Buckeye defensive line, which has allowed just 2.8 yards per carry. Ohio State held Heisman candidate Saquon Barkley to just 44 yards rushing on Oct. 28.

“The Ohio State defense, they’re really good,” running back Akrum Wadley said. “We just have to stick to what we do best.”

The Hawkeyes have a big challenge ahead of them, but the game is somewhat reminiscent of the Michigan contest in 2016.

Michigan headed into Kinnick with a 9-1 record and was a 21.5-point favorite. The Hawkeyes won 14-13 on a last-second field goal.

While that may stick out in the minds of some, Iowa is focused on controlling what it can control, staying in the game mentally and making sure things don’t get out of hand.