Iowa’s next step on the schedule already has the betting markets leaning in the Hawkeyes’ direction.
Before that matters, though, Iowa has to get through Minnesota this weekend in the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale. That one comes on the road, with both teams off a bye, and nothing about it looks simple for Iowa.
Still, oddsmakers have already posted numbers for next week’s Border Battle against Wisconsin, and the Hawkeyes are laying a short number at home. Iowa opened as a 4.5-point favorite over the Badgers, with DraftKings listing the line at Iowa -4.5 (-110) and Wisconsin +4.5 (-110). The money line sits at Iowa -185 and Wisconsin +185, while the total is 39.5, with both the over and under priced at -110.
That’s the same spread Iowa’s game against Minnesota opened with about a week before kickoff, and there’s a good chance this one moves depending on what happens this weekend. Wisconsin also has business to handle first, taking on USC on Saturday night in primetime on NBC.
The Badgers enter that matchup at 4-2, and they may be the strongest team Luke Fickell has had in Madison during his time there.
The series numbers tell you how tight this rivalry has been. Wisconsin leads the all-time matchup 49-48-2, and the teams have split the last 10 meetings at 5-5. Iowa has gone 27-20-1 at home against the Badgers, and the most recent meeting ended with Iowa rolling to a 37-0 win at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
There’s also a chance for Iowa to finally draw even in the all-time series if it takes care of business this season. A win would make it five straight over Wisconsin.
The matchup has plenty going for Iowa on paper: it’s at home, it falls on Halloween, and FOX Big Noon Kickoff will have the spotlight. But Wisconsin brings a defense that is better than last year’s version, along with an offense led by a dynamic quarterback in Colton Joseph.
For now, Iowa’s attention has to stay on Minnesota. If the Hawkeyes win there, next weekend could set up as a major Big Ten game, with Iowa potentially sitting at 6-1 and welcoming a 5-2 Wisconsin team into Kinnick with plenty at stake.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Took Another Painful Late Loss At The Worst Time
Another late-game swing left Iowa staring at a defeat it cant afford to dwell on for long. Minnesota got a 47-yard field goal from Luke Drzewiecki as time expired, and the transfer who arrived as New Mexicos all-time kick-scoring leader delivered the finish in a game that had been tight enough to turn on one final snap. The Hawkeyes had chances, and the rest of the afternoon included plenty of the usual details that come with a rivalry game, from key plays to injury updates, but the ending is what will linger.
Now Iowa has to reset quickly with Wisconsin coming to town next week. There was no shortage of eyes on this one, with bowl and NFL scouts in the building, but the Hawkeyes will care more about how they respond after another painful late loss at a point in the season when every result feels magnified. The margin for error is shrinking, and the home date ahead gives them a chance to steady things before the finish line gets any closer. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Just Handed Minnesota A Loss Hawkeyes Fans Will Hate
Iowa spent much of the afternoon moving the ball well enough to stay in the game, but the miscues kept piling up in a way Hawkeyes fans know all too well. A blocked punt, three interceptions and a lost fumble turned a promising performance into a constant uphill climb, even as the offense outgained Minnesota and kept finding ways to answer enough plays to stay close.
A late scoring drive pulled Iowa even and set up what looked like a tense finish, but the game still slipped away on Minnesotas walk-off field goal. Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown were part of the quarterback rotation, and Kamari Moultons exit because of injury only added to a day that already had too many moving parts for Iowa to survive. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Just Got A Fresh Boost In A Tight Bowl Race
ESPNs updated FPI numbers after Week 8 offered another snapshot of the crowded postseason race, and Arizona State was among the teams that picked up a meaningful boost. The ratings shifted several programs around the board, from bowl eligibility to playoff odds, with Iowa also included in the latest round of movement as the model continues to reshape the landscape for the stretch run.
For teams on the fringe, these weekly updates can matter almost as much as the results on the field, because they help show where the path gets easier or harder from here. Arizona States rise stands out in a race that includes several other moving pieces, and Iowa will be watching those same projections closely as the season narrows toward the finish. [Read more 🡒]