Week 7 sees the Iowa Hawkeyes make the short trek up north to the great state of Wisconsin for another Big Ten matchup as their conference slate churns on.
The Hawkeyes (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) have a matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) and have the chance to get back in the win column, fresh off a bye week after a tight loss to the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Badgers, led by head coach Luke Fickell, are in a bit of disarray, searching for their identity and who can best command the offense at the quarterback position. But, while they may be in a conundrum, it is still the battle for the Heartland Trophy, which is a rivalry game and can lead to anything happening.
Heading into the matchup, ESPN previewed the matchup and provided an outlook on the game with their analytics.
Iowa at Wisconsin (7 p.m., FS1). Iowa is eight points from an unbeaten record but is 3-2 instead. That’s more than Wisconsin can say, though. The Badgers showed some brief life after handing the QB reins to Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons last week, but they still lost to Michigan by two touchdowns and have been outscored by 55 points against three power-conference opponents.
Current line: Iowa -3.5 | SP+ projection: Iowa by 6.0 | FPI projection: Iowa by 3.1 – Bill Connelly, ESPN
ESPN likes the Hawkeyes in both of their projections, the SP+ and the FPI projection, but by slightly different margins. Iowa has looked much better against its Power Four opponents in three games than the Badgers have, and it is not a crazy, unrealistic thought from being 4-1 or even 5-0.
Kickoff for the Heartland Trophy between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Wisconsin Badgers is set for 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 11, from Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, and will air on FS1.
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