Iowa heads to Seattle this weekend with more than just a road game on the line. The Hawkeyes are staring at a matchup that could shape the rest of the season, and the setup around it is about as clean as it gets for early October football.
The forecast in Seattle calls for upper-50s temperatures and overcast skies on Friday, with the weather staying in the 50s into the evening for kickoff between Iowa and Washington. There’s no precipitation in the picture, and only a light wind out of the east. In other words: chilly enough to notice, but otherwise about as good as it gets for a game at Husky Stadium.
The bigger issue is what happens on the field. Iowa’s season feels pointed directly at this one.
A win would send the Hawkeyes into the bye week at 5-1 and leave them in strong shape for the second half of the schedule. That stretch looks tougher than it did earlier, but it’s still manageable.
Lose, and the path to a playoff berth is likely done.
Iowa also enters the game with uncertainty at quarterback after Hank Brown’s shoulder injury in last week’s loss to Ohio State. Based on Kirk Ferentz’s comments Tuesday, Jeremy Hecklinski appears set to start, with Brown serving as the emergency backup.
That’s a lot for a first-time starter to carry, but there is at least one encouraging number floating around: since 2006, Iowa is 7-1 when the backup quarterback makes his first start. The only loss in that stretch came with James Vandenberg at Ohio State in 2009.
Washington brings its own questions. The Huskies looked shaky in the non-conference portion of the schedule, and Big Ten play has already tested them.
They dropped a home game to Minnesota, with the Gophers ahead by double digits for most of the night, then blew an 11-point lead at USC last week. Even so, Washington led for a good chunk of that game, which is part of what makes this a dangerous road spot.
The Huskies also have some young players in key areas, and Iowa will try to make that matter.
The line has been on Washington all week and is now at Washington -3.5. That reflects the challenge in front of Iowa: a possible backup quarterback, a loud road environment, and a game with real season weight attached to it. Still, the pick here is Iowa 24, Washington 20, though not with much confidence.
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