Wisconsin’s Week 9 trip to Iowa lands on Halloween, and the matchup comes with all the usual Kinnick Stadium baggage: a physical Hawkeyes team, a defense that has been among the nation’s best, and a Badgers program still trying to answer the same question that’s hovered over this series for two straight seasons.
The date is set for Saturday, Oct. 31, with kickoff and TV still to be determined. Iowa is coming off a 9-4 season in 2025, and Kirk Ferentz enters his 28th year in charge in Iowa City.
Ferentz, long known as the Dean of Big Ten coaches, became the conference’s winningest coach after Iowa beat UMass last September. His résumé is packed with consistency: nine or more wins 10 times, eight or more wins 16 times.
Wisconsin has had no answers lately. The Hawkeyes have won four straight in the series, and the last two have been lopsided in the worst way for the Badgers - 42-10 in 2024 and 37-0 in 2025.
The numbers behind Iowa’s 2025 season tell the story. The Hawkeyes averaged just 320.1 yards of offense per game, which ranked No. 117 nationally, but their defense allowed only 280.4 yards per game, good for No. 9 in the country. That’s the formula Wisconsin is walking into again.
On offense, Iowa has a key piece back in Trevor Lauck, who returns as one of the top offensive tackles in the nation. The fourth-year lineman was tabbed a second-team All-America selection by Athlon and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in preseason recognition.
The Hawkeyes also have a notable transfer in Tony Diaz, who arrives from Texas Rio Grande Valley after leading the Southland Conference in receiving touchdowns with 11. He also ranked third in receptions per game at 5.67 and second in receiving yards with 875. Iowa expects him to join Reece Vander Zee as one of its top receiving threats in 2026.
On the defensive side, Zach Lutmer is the name to know. He started all 13 games in 2025 and finished with 71 tackles, including 44 solo stops, 27 assists and 5.5 tackles for loss. After a second-team All-Big Ten season by the coaches, he heads into 2026 with All-American potential.
Other players expected to matter for Iowa include, on offense, Kade Pieper, DJ Vonnahme, Reece Vander Zee, Kamari Moulton, Keighton Jones and Jack Dotzler. On defense, the list includes Tyler Brown, Deshaun Lee, Bryce Hawthorne, Cam Buffington, Jayden Montgomery and Kenneth Merrieweather.
From Wisconsin’s side, the challenge is pretty clear. Iowa is going to lean on the run and try to make the game ugly.
The Badgers should have a defense that can at least stand up to that style. The bigger question is whether Wisconsin’s offense can sustain drives and avoid the kind of three-and-outs that have already burned them badly in this matchup.
That concern is baked into the outlook. ESPN’s FPI gives Wisconsin a 27.8 percent chance to win in Week 9.
Before that Halloween trip to Iowa City, Wisconsin’s 2026 schedule opens with Notre Dame, Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan, then moves into a road game at Penn State, a home date with Michigan State, a bye, and later matchups at UCLA, against USC, home against Rutgers, at Maryland, at Purdue and against Minnesota to close the regular season.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Linebackers Are Giving This Defense Something It Needed
Wisconsins linebacker room has been one of the more encouraging developments of fall camp, and inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland made clear after practice that the group is starting to look like a real stabilizing force. Thomas Heibergers health and versatility have given the staff another useful piece to work with, while Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano are bringing different kinds of leadership to the middle of the defense. Borland also pointed to Drew Braam as the kind of player who keeps showing up, which matters just as much in camp as it does once the games start.
For a defense that has leaned on toughness and communication for years, those traits are not window dressing. Wisconsin needs linebackers who can handle multiple jobs, set the tone in the huddle and still help on special teams, and Borlands comments suggested this group is giving the Badgers more of that balance. The bigger question now is how much of that camp progress carries over once the reps get faster and the pressure gets real. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Roster Overhaul Is Finally Giving Badgers Fans Real Hope
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There is also a longer list of players who could force their way into the same conversation, including Colton Joseph, Malachi Coleman, Jacob Harris, Charles Perkins, Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano. For a fan base that has watched Wisconsin try to regain its edge, the encouraging part is not just the individual names but the overall direction of the rebuild. The athletic ceiling is rising, and the roster now has the kind of traits that can change how the Badgers look on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Defense Is Showing A Different Look That Could Change Everything
Wisconsins defense started to find its footing late last season, even as the year as a whole was defined by a roster that was thin on big-play talent and battered by injuries, especially on offense. A major reason for the late uptick was the play of freshman inside linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano, who quickly became central pieces for the Badgers and gave the unit a little more backbone when it needed it most.
Now, as fall camp gets underway, both players are pointing to a defense that looks different in ways that could matter a lot. The biggest change seems to be in the secondary, where Wisconsin has more athleticism and speed than it did a year ago, along with the kind of length and turnover potential that can change how the whole group plays. If that holds once the season starts, it could give the Badgers a much higher ceiling than they had last fall. [Read more 🡒]