3 Burning Questions Ahead of Wisconsin's Potential Season-Defining Clash With Iowa

It's finally Iowa week.

The battle for the Heartland Trophy has been a massacre at the hands of the Hawkeyes for two straight seasons, and Iowa has won four in a row in this series — the 72-pound brass bull trophy that's resided in Iowa City since 2022 is arguably the biggest albatross around the Wisconsin football program's neck.

No matter what the Badgers' record is, no matter how many ranked upsets head coach Luke Fickell pulls off, Wisconsin football isn't going to truly feel like it's back until it beats Iowa.

Needless to say, it's a massive week in Madison. Below, Badgers On SI breaks down three burning questions swirling around the football program ahead of Halloween in Kinnick Stadium:

Can Wisconsin exorcise its demons against Iowa?

Iowa Hawkeyes running back Xavier Williams (26) runs the ball in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is obviously the biggest question on everyone's mind this week, but I don't just mean can the Badgers win the game. Iowa has dominated them so extensively the in the last two meetings Wisconsin hasn't even looked like they're in the same league. Can the Badgers bring the level of physicality and nastiness necessary to compete in a game like this, before we even consider the possibility of a win?

Last week, a physically dominant upset romp over No. 16 USC would suggest Wisconsin can. It suffocated the Trojans' ground game to the tune of -17 rushing yards, while harassing quarterback Jayden Maiava all night long with five sacks and two interceptions.

Still, there's a notion that USC is a soft, finesse-based, speed-predicated West Coast team that can't handle being punched in the mouth by a gritty, blue-collar Midwest team. And while that's been proven repeatedly in the Lincoln Riley era, it shouldn't take away from the fact that Wisconsin just authored a complete defensive masterclass.

But as Fickell knows, Iowa is a completely different team with a completely different mindset.

“I don’t wanna put too much on our ability to stop the run so far, because it’s going to be a completely different challenge for us to stop the run," he said this week.

That remark captures the essence of this particular burning question. Wisconsin looks like a revitalized team this year, but Iowa is the measuring stick, based on both the style of play and how this game has unfolded the past two years. The Badgers need to look like they belong on the same field as the Hawkeyes physically, because that hasn't been the case as of late.

Can the Badgers move the ball at all?

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Two weeks ago, Wisconsin's offense was all but completely shut down by UCLA's stout defense. The Badgers mustered 214 total yards and seven points.

Against USC, Wisconsin fared much better, scoring 24 points despite gaining fewer total yards of offense (200). Outside of three touchdown drives, two that went for 75 yards and one that totaled 59 yards, the Badgers notched 25 yards across their other four drives.

The Badgers got a break last week against a middling Trojans' defense and still didn't perform all that well. Now, they have to face one of the best defenses in the country.

Iowa's total defense that allows 281.3 yards per game actually ranks one spot lower than Wisconsin, which surrenders 280.1 yards per game. But where the Hawkeyes separate themselves is their nasty run defense that checks in at No. 5 nationally allowing 82.9 yards per game. That's particularly concerning given how heavily Wisconsin relies on the run; quarterback Colton Joseph has thrown for 124 yards over the past two games combined.

Did Wisconsin finally find its starting five up front?

Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Barrett Nelson. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

To delve a little more specifically into the offensive side of the ball, Wisconsin trotted out yet another new starting five against USC. The Badgers kept Stylz Blackmon at center for the injured starter Austin Kawecki, while replacing PJ Wilkins with Barrett Nelson at right guard. It worked out well; Nelson played admirably and the Badgers pushed the Trojans around.

“I didn’t talk to him before the game. I didn’t want to make it bigger than it was, even though it was big. For him, I didn’t want him to think I was singling him out like, ‘oh, we gotta do something special here,'" Fickell said. "We’ve got the utmost faith in him. Hasn’t had a ton of opportunities because of all the things he’s dealt with, but I thought he did a good job. The moment wasn’t too big.”

Wisconsin got the best push up front is has all season against USC. How much of that had to do with a soft Trojans' front seven? That remains to be seen, but the Badgers don't have to wait long to find out, as they'll go from facing a manageable defensive front to one of the toughest in the sport in the matter of a week.

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