(18) Wisconsin at Iowa – 8:30 p.m. ET – FOX
Who will win the battle for the Heartland Trophy? In another historic college football rivalry, which dates back to 1894, the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes will face off against the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin leads the series by a slim 46-43 margin and looks to rebound after being upset by BYU at home.
Iowa has started the season off 3-0, which includes a big victory over Iowa State. The Hawkeyes defense has been outstanding all season, coming in as the second-ranked defense in the country, allowing only 199 yards and 5 points per game. Even when facing Iowa State’s David Montgomery, the Hawkeyes were able to hold the All-Big 12 running back to 44 yards. If Iowa plans to beat the Badgers, they have to do the same against Jonathan Taylor, who ran for 1,977 yards as a true freshman last season.
Wisconsin will have plenty of motivation after last weekends loss to BYU, but if you looked solely at the stat sheet, no one would have thought the Badgers lost the game. Wisconsin outgained BYU 394-311, converted 24 first downs compared to the Cougar’s 14, and dominated the time of possession. That said, Wisconsin couldn’t convert when the opportunity presented itself, giving up penalties and turnovers that cost them the game.
Whether or not Iowa is a legit Big 12 contender will be answered this weekend, but no one should expect Wisconsin to slip up for a second straight week at home.