Iowa's hard-fought win over Michigan raised the stakes for week five against Ohio State

Iowa's winning ways have them moving up in the rankings, but Michigan was only the first big test.

Week four against Michigan at the "Big House" in Ann Arbor brought many spectacular moments, but the biggest one was that Iowa is ready to take the next step. Hank Brown proved he's the guy, Reece Vander Zee is finally fully back to form, and the Hawkeyes are ready to prove everyone wrong. Although beating Michigan was a massive step forward for the program, they have an even tougher test against Ohio State in week five. After downing Michigan, the Hawkeyes jumped in the rankings, making Saturday's game even more important.

Iowa jumped three spots in this week's AP Top-25 poll

Although Iowa was ranked No. 17 against No. 18 Michigan, the Wolverines were 5.5-point home favorites in week four as the lower-ranked team. Iowa proved it can hang with the big boys, and even though it looked bleak early, the Hawkeyes stuck with it and came out on top. Iowa did enough to upset Michigan on the road. Hopefully, they can carry that momentum into an even tougher week-five home matchup against the heavily favored Ohio State Buckeyes. Iowa's win over Michigan vaulted them even higher in the rankings, setting up a top-15 clash.

Iowa moved from No. 17 to No. 14, while Ohio State also jumped slightly from No. 6 to No. 5. The Hawkeyes are now the third-highest-ranked team in the Big Ten, with only Indiana and Ohio State ahead. The Hawkeyes proved they can play with the best, but Ohio State is one of the most well-rounded teams in college football. They were surprised by Texas early in the year, but have demolished every other team in their path to start the season. Oddsmakers have Iowa as a 13.5-point home underdog against the Buckeyes in week five, and they will need to play even better this week to stay perfect.

The Hawkeyes are coming off a thrilling, high-intensity win over Michigan, and the Buckeyes beat the brakes off Illinois. Both teams are coming in hot, and Iowa has to have a few things bounce their way if they want to upset Ohio State and potentially jump into the top five.

It won't be easy, but Iowa has the tools to knock off Ohio State

Ohio State is an offensive juggernaut with star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith as the focal point. The Buckeyes' offense has been far better through the air (365.3 yards per game) than on the ground (156.8 yards per game) this season, and we saw what Bryce Underwood did against the Hawkeyes in the passing game. Quarterback Julian Sayin and Smith have formed a dynamic duo, and the Iowa secondary must be prepared for the Buckeyes to air it out early and often. Smith will likely go off in this game, but Iowa can't let anyone else beat them.

Michigan and Ohio State are two very different teams on offense, with the Wolverines relying on the running game and Ohio State relying on the passing game to score. Iowa can't afford a repeat performance against Ohio State where they fail to pressure the quarterback, or Sayin will pick them apart. Phil Parker might have to get creative with his pressures and send more blitzes this week, forcing Sayin into some bad throws or making the Buckeyes beat them on the ground.

Although Ohio State looks like a juggernaut, its defense is vulnerable, as showcased by its week-four game against Illinois. The Fighting Illini didn't have enough firepower to stay with the Buckeyes, but they did hit on some big plays through the air and on the ground. Ohio State still boasts the No. 27 overall defense, but they are better against the pass (No. 17 overall) than the run (No. 45 overall). The Hawkeyes struggled to run against Michigan, and they must get it going this week. Iowa found some magic in the passing game, but the offense still relies on a strong rushing attack to set up the pass

The two biggest keys for the Hawkeyes to stand a chance against the Bucketes is to get pressure on Sayin, and hit on multiple big plays on offense to keep them in the game.

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