Game Prediction: No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes at Wisconsin Badgers

Iowa remains the favorites to win the Big Ten West this year and have a chance to go play for a conference title in Indianapolis, but they don't control their own destiny yet and they've got a really tough test coming on Saturday afternoon.

Wisconsin's offense has been poor this season, but they've been excellent on defense and have made great strides with three straight wins. This is a huge game on Saturday afternoon.

Here's how the BuckeyesNow staff thinks things will play out:

IOWA at WISCONSIN – Saturday, 12:00 p.m.
Spread: Wisconsin (-3.5)
O/U Total: 36.5

Brendan Gulick: Wisconsin 20, Iowa 13

Two very good defenses slugging it out late in October? This has Big Ten West written all over it. Iowa's offense has been suspect at times this year, especially last time out against Purdue. Wisconsin's defense could be the toughest they've seen all year and Hawkeye fans certainly know the west has often run through Madison the last 10 years.

Wisconsin's rushing attack has been fine, but let's call a spade a spade here ... their passing attack has been absolutely terrible. I think the over/under is so low in this game because both teams are going to try and run the ball a lot, keeping the clock moving, and neither team has had too many big explosive offensive plays this year.

I'm not sure I love this pick. I think Iowa is the better team. But something tells me it isn't going to be a fun plane ride back to Iowa City.

Andrew Lind: Iowa 16, Wisconsin 10

The Hawkeyes come into this game looking for their second straight win over the Badgers, something they haven’t done since 2008-09. A victory on Saturday could signal a shift in the balance of power in the Big Ten West, which Wisconsin has won six times in the last 11 seasons.

However, Iowa looked offensively challenged in its loss to Purdue two weeks ago. If those struggles carry over to Saturday, this might not be the highest-scoring or most enjoyable game to watch. So long as the Hawkeyes hold onto the ball, though, they’ll win this game.

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Brett Hiltbrand: Iowa 24, Wisconsin 20

Oh Iowa. Not so chesty in the mentions these last two weeks, eh? Honestly felt bad for Hawkeyes' fans after getting to No. 2 in the country for the first time since the Reagan Administration and promptly farting that away at home to a Purdue team that's playing a little gimmicky football at the moment. That's a brutal way to back up your ranking.

Vegas doesn't trust the Hawkeyes anymore, either. The No. 9 ranked team is on the road is catching 3.5 points against a team hovering one win above .500. Yeesh.

Caleb Spinner: Iowa 17, Wisconsin 13

Iowa has had some impressive wins this season, but seem to have run into a hiccup the last two weeks, almost slipping off the ledge against Penn State until Sean Clifford got hurt and then taking an unexpected dive off the cliff last weekend against Purdue. Running back Tyler Goodson is leading the Hawkeyes in scoring with five touchdowns, but the Iowa offense is still ranked in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Their power comes from the defense, ranked second in the conference and sixth in the nation for points allowed per game (14.57).

It takes a strong offense to get passed a defense like that and Wisconsin does not appear to be of that caliber. The Badgers have a few wins under their belt, but their blowout losses to ranked Notre Dame and Michigan have me doubting what they can do against a serious team like Iowa. The Hawkeyes take care of business in this one.

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