Iowa heads into Friday night in a pretty different spot than it was a week ago. The No.
20 Hawkeyes took their first loss of 2026 in Week 5, managing only 14 points in a defeat against Ohio State. That stings, but it also comes with some perspective: Ohio State is the current favorite to win the national title.
And just a week earlier, Iowa had put together one of its best moments of the season with a last-second win over Michigan.
That Michigan victory doesn’t carry quite the same shine now that the Wolverines are 3-2 after a loss to Minnesota, but Iowa still has enough going for it to make this a tricky matchup for Washington. The Huskies are 3-2 as well, and they come in having dropped back-to-back Big Ten games after opening 3-0. Their early wins came against Washington State, Utah State and Eastern Washington, three teams they were expected to handle before conference play began.
Still, Washington is the favorite here, even with Iowa ranked and the Huskies carrying a two-game skid. That sets up an interesting question: can Washington stop the slide, or is Iowa being undervalued on the road?
A big part of Iowa’s outlook hinges on quarterback Hank Brown, who suffered a mild shoulder or collarbone sprain and appears to have a chance to play Friday. Brown has completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 832 yards, five touchdowns and one interception this season, while also taking four sacks and adding one rushing touchdown in 2026. If he can’t go, that would be a major hit for an Iowa offense that has struggled to find rhythm.
The Hawkeyes are just 111th in the country in EPA/Rush, 101st in success rate and 84th in adjusted EPA/Play. After scoring only 14 points against Ohio State, they’ll be hoping Brown is back under center.
Washington’s profile doesn’t exactly scream confidence, either. The Huskies have covered the spread in only one of five games, and their recent losses have come against Minnesota and USC, two straight Power 4 opponents they couldn’t solve. The numbers point to more trouble: Washington is 107th in EPA/Pass and 124th in third/fourth down success rate.
That matters because the way to attack Iowa’s defense is through the air, but Washington hasn’t shown it can do that efficiently. The Hawkeyes are seventh in adjusted EPA/Play on defense this season, and while their offense sits outside the top 100 in success rate, Washington’s offense isn’t any better at 84th.
Everything about this matchup points toward a low-scoring game, and that usually makes taking the points the sharper side. Iowa looks like a live dog on Friday, especially with the Hawkeyes still trying to hold onto a spot in the top 25.
In Other News...
Washington May Have Finally Found The Lead Back It Needed
The Huskies have spent much of the fall piecing together their backfield as injuries kept reshuffling the depth chart, but Brian Bonner Jr. has started to look like a back who can handle more of the load. The true freshman has moved into a bigger role, and against USC he showed why the staff keeps leaning on him, working as a steady option between the tackles and giving the offense a runner it could trust.
Bonner finished that game with 19 carries for 89 yards and also chipped in as a receiver on a short catch, a useful sign for a back trying to expand his workload. For the season, he has 215 rushing yards on 41 carries and is averaging 5.2 yards per attempt, numbers that matter even more with Jordan Washington, Quaid Carr, Jayden Limar and Julian McMahan all dealing with injuries in a thinned-out room. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Faces One Big Lineup Question In Its New-Look Debut
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One piece of the puzzle is already in place: Wesley Yates III is the only starter currently locked in. Beyond that, coach Danny Sprinkle still has a few choices to sort through, with newcomers like Ryan Beasley and LeJuan Watts among the players expected to factor into the mix alongside Lathan Sommerville and Mady Traore. The exhibition should offer the first real glimpse at how the Huskies intend to line up when the season starts, even if the final answer is still a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Just Gave Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Washington had USC on the ropes in a game that felt like it could tilt either way, and the Huskies had one last chance to extend a promising showing. Instead, the finish slipped away in a tight 25-21 loss that left plenty to unpack, especially in a Big Ten Saturday that also saw Penn State and Michigan go down in stunners and reshaped the conference picture yet again.
For Washington, the result was another reminder that the margins in this league are razor thin, and the kind of game that can linger because it was there to be taken. USC needed a big defensive moment to grab control back, and the Trojans found it, but the Huskies are still left sorting through what it means to stay in the mix after a performance that was close enough to sting. [Read more 🡒]