Three things to know about matchup between Ohio State and Iowa

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College football season is in full swing, and the Big Ten season continues to roll on as Ohio State heads on the road to face off with the Iowa Hawkeyes for an all-important ranked matchup that could be pivotal in the conference as well as the College Football Playoff race.

We like to look ahead to give you some things to look forward to when it comes to each Ohio State football matchup, and it's no different with this game. The Buckeyes enter this matchup as the away favorite, and a pretty significant one according to the wise guys in Veas.

The Hawkeyes play host as the No. 14 team in the country and are coming off an emotional and hard-fought win against Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Here are three key facts about Ohio State's matchup with Iowa on Saturday afternoon.

Ohio State The Kings Of College GameDay

Saturday's game between Ohio State and Iowa in Iowa City will also be the location of ESPN's College GameDay. Not only is this the second time in five weeks that the Buckeyes will take part in College Football's biggest game of the weekend, but it'll also mark the 70th time in program history that Ohio State will be part of GameDay — the most of any team in the country.

While most of Ohio State's matchups in GameDay have come at home, its record on the road is quite eye-opening. In 25 road games, the Buckeyes are 17-8 overall.

Overall, Ohio State has a 48-21 all-time record in College GameDay matchups.

More Potential Records For Jeremiah Smith

Has anyone had a better start to the season than Jeremiah Smith? The all-time receiving yards leader for the Buckeyes goes into Saturday's showdown with Iowa needing 10 receptions and two touchdowns to break the all-time receptions and receiving touchdown record — giving him the Buckeye trifecta.

His 10th reception will pass Emeka Egbuka while his second touchdown will surpass Chris Olave's record.

Already this season, Smith has 617 receiving yards on 33 receptions and seven touchdowns, leading the nation in yards and touchdowns.

A Sellout And No Surprise

Iowa has one of the best fan bases in all of college football, and Saturday's game will be no different. It's not only the first time College GameDay will be in Iowa City in 20 years, but it's also the Hawkeyes' annual Black & Gold Spirit Day.

Iowa, which sold out 31 consecutive games in Kinnick Stadium, will again be the site of a terrific ranked matchup. Kirk Ferentz also has been terrific at home, with a 72.4 winning percentage at Iowa. Since 2008, he's 4-1 against ranked opponents in Iowa City, and will try to add to that on Saturday.

The one team that has been difficult to beat for Ferentz has been the Buckeyes, but his only two wins against Ohio State — a 2-9 overall record — have come at home, in 2004 and 2017.

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Three things to know about matchup between Ohio State and Iowa

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