By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Maybe the only thing harder than defeating second-ranked Ohio State is finding an Iowa fan that thinks there is even a slight chance that it could happen on Saturday.

The Buckeyes are favored by a whopping 29 points against an Iowa team that has lost two games in a row and that has one of the worst offenses in the country.

A lot of Iowa fans probably would be surprised if Saturday’s game is even close, and it’s easy to see why, because while numbers and statistics don’t always tell the whole story, they certainly help to show the massive challenge that Iowa will face.

For starters, the game will be played at Ohio Stadium where the Buckeyes haven’t lost a conference game since 2015, while Iowa has lost 10 conference games at home since 2015.

Here are some more statistical comparisons between Iowa and Ohio State:

Series wins: Ohio State 45, Iowa 15, three ties.

Iowa’s record against Ohio State since 1963: 5-34-1

Heisman Trophy winners: Ohio State – (7) Les Horvath, 1944; Vic Janowicz, 1950; Howard “Hopalong” Cassidy, 1955; Archie Griffin, 1974, 1975; Eddie George, 1995; Troy Smith, 2006.

Iowa – (1) Nile Kinnick, 1939.

Big Ten Championships: Ohio State 39, Iowa 11

NFL first-round draft picks: Ohio State 87, Iowa 24

Claimed national titles: Ohio State, 8, (1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014); Iowa 5, (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958, 1960).

Consensus All-Americans: Ohio State 89, Iowa 28

College Football playoff appearances: Ohio State 4, Iowa 0

All-time wins: Ohio State 948, Iowa 679

Big Ten division titles: Ohio State 10, (2 Leaders, 8 East); Iowa, 2, (West)

Undefeated seasons: Ohio State 10, Iowa 4

Current head coach winning percentages: Ryan Day, Ohio State, .909, (40-4); Kirk Ferentz, Iowa, .605 (182-119).

Current points scored: Ohio State 293, Iowa 88

Current total offense per-game averages: Ohio State 543.7, Iowa 238.8

Touchdown passes thrown this season: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State, 24; Iowa, Spencer Petras, 2.

Career touchdown passes thrown: C.J. Stroud, 68 in 18 starts; Spencer Petras, 21 in 25 starts.

Current yards-per-rush averages: Ohio State, 6.0; Iowa, 2.6

Total yards after six games: Ohio State, 3,262; Iowa, 1,433

Touchdowns scored after six games: Ohio State 34, Iowa 9, (2 defensively)

Passing yards per-game average: Ohio State 315.7, Iowa 156.7

Yards gained rushing: Ohio State, 1,418, Iowa, 681

Third-down conversions: Ohio State, 40/69, 58 percent; Iowa, 24/81, 30.0 percent

Points per game: Ohio State 48.8, Iowa, 14.7

Red zone touchdowns: Ohio State, 27/29; Iowa, 4/12

Touchdowns rushing: Ohio 16, Iowa 5

Head coaches since 1979: Ohio State, 6, Early Bruce, Jon Cooper, Jim Tressell, Luke Fickel, interim; Urban Meyer, Ryan Day; Iowa, two, Hayden Fry, Kirk Ferentz.