Life can change quickly in college football. A month ago, Ohio State was dead and buried after its 26-18 loss to Purdue. A week ago, Iowa was looking to run the table and maybe - with a little help - find itself playing for the national championship in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7.

The Buckeyes (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten Conference) have won three games in a row since stumbling Oct. 17 in West Lafayette, Ind. The last victory, a convincing 24-7 win at Penn State last week, may have been the most complete game Ohio State has played all season.

Iowa (9-1, 5-1) won its first nine games, including four three points or less, and was fourth in the BCS standings before Northwestern visited Iowa City last week. When the Wildcats left, they took the Hawkeyes' national title hopes with them after a 17-10 upset.

Northwestern might have taken even more. Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi severely sprained an ankle in the loss, underwent surgery this week and won't play again until the Hawkeyes' bowl game.

Ohio State can lock up at least a share of its fifth consecutive Big Ten title and secure a berth in the Rose Bowl with a victory over Iowa. The Hawkeyes, with another loss, would be relegated to one of the lesser-coveted New Year's Day bowl games.

QUARTERBACKS: Iowa - Freshman James Vandenberg saw his first college action after Stanzi went down against Northwestern. It wasn't pretty. He was 9-of-27 for 82 yards, with an interception. Now he gets to stand in the face of the Buckeyes' fierce pass rush. Ohio State - Terrelle Pryor's passing numbers weren't great against Penn State, but he didn't force the ball into coverage and the Buckeyes' coaching staff put him on the edge, where he could decide to make plays with his arm or legs. Pryor might be coming of age. EDGE: Buckeyes.

RUNNING BACKS: Iowa - Adam Robinson was averaging almost 5 yards per carry when he went out with an ankle injury similar to that of Stanzi on Sept. 26 against Penn State. Freshman Brandon Wegher is now the starter. He has 306 yards and four touchdowns, but is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. Ohio State - Just about everybody ran successfully in Happy Valley last week. Brandon Saine had 68 yards on 20 carries, Dan "Boom"Herron had 58 on 16 carries and Pryor ran for 50 yards on just five attempts. It seems like the Buckeyes' running backs are all healthy now. EDGE: Buckeyes.

RECEIVERS: Iowa - Junior Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, a former Cardinal Mooney quarterback, is the Hawkeyes' top receiver with 26 catches and a 17.9-yard average. Marvin McNutt has just 11 catches, but three have gone for TDs and he averages 27.7 yards per reception. Ohio State - Did you notice the separation DeVier Posey got on his 62-yard TD catch late in the third quarter against Penn State? The Buckeyes' success on the ground helped, and Posey has become their latest big-play receiver. EDGE: Buckeyes.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Iowa - The Hawkeyes have injury concerns here, too. They lost starting guard Dace Richardson to a broken leg against Michigan State on Oct. 24, and tackle Bryan Bulaga also has missed time with an injury. The injuries up front, as much as the loss of Robinson, are responsible for the sputtering ground game. Ohio State - Where did the Buckeyes' dominating performance come from last week? Ohio State's line played its best game of the season to date, and the results are evident in the fact Pryor was not sacked, and the Buckeyes rushed for 228 yards against Penn State. EDGE: Buckeyes.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Iowa - Junior end Adrian Clayborn leads the Hawkeyes with 13.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and seven QB hurries. Fellow end Broderick Binns and tackle Karl Klug also are capable of disrupting things in the opponent's backfield. Ohio State - The Buckeyes set the tone from the start last week by sacking Daryll Clark on Penn State's first play from scrimmage. Thaddeus Gibson, Cameron Heyward and the rest of a seemingly endless supply of defensive linemen will try to make Vandenberg's first college start miserable. EDGE: Buckeyes.

LINEBACKERS: Iowa - Senior Pat Angerer is the Hawkeyes' version of former Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis. Angerer is in the middle of everything, and leads Iowa with 106 tackles. He has broken up five passes, forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass. Ohio State - Ross Homan came up with the only turnover last week with a diving interception of Clark with 9:20 to play. That play all but clinched the Buckeyes' victory, but there were plenty of other plays made by the linebackers that helped put the Nittany Lions into lots of second- and third-and-long situations. Ohio State's defense got off the field in 12 of 16 third-down situations. EDGE: Buckeyes.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Iowa - The Hawkeyes have been ball hawks all season. Sophomore strong safety Tyler Sash leads the Big Ten with six interceptions, and seven other Iowa players also have intercepted passes. One of them, free safety Brett Greenwood, was injured in the victory over Michigan State and might be back Saturday. Ohio State - Anderson Russell, who lost his starting free safety job to Jermale Hines in September, has been back atop the Buckeyes' depth chart the last two weeks. To his credit, Russell never pouted after Hines took his role following some early blown coverages. Russell played well in a backup role, and showed he still has a nose for the ball. EDGE: Even.

SPECIALISTS: Iowa - Daniel Murray has made 15 of 21 field-goal attempts, but is just 5 of 10 beyond 40 yards. Ryan Donahue averages 42.2 yards per punt. Colin Sandeman might be healthy enough to return punts again. He was the most effective Hawkeye in that role before he got hurt. Ohio State - Ray Small has always had the potential to be a game-changing player. He finally actually changed a game in State College, Pa., last week, with two huge punt returns. The Buckeyes still haven't decided on Aaron Pettrey's permanent replacement. Devin Barclay, who kicked against Penn State, could play again this week, or it could be freshman Ben Buchanan, who has been punter Jon Thoma's backup most of the season. EDGE: Buckeyes.

PREDICTION: The Buckeyes are favored by 16 points, mainly because of all the Hawkeyes' injuries. The most critical is the loss of Stanzi. There is no reason to suspect Vandenberg will become Colt McCoy by Saturday, so if Pryor plays mistake-free football again and the Buckeyes' offensive line continues to play well, this one won't be close. They can smell the roses already. ... Ohio State 21, Iowa 6.

epuskas@tribtoday.com