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Wisconsin Badgers need to end embarrassing losing streak to Iowa Hawkeyes

The Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes have one of the longest-running, hardest-fought rivalries in the Big Ten, but it hasn't looked that way in recent seasons.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin linebacker Jordan Turner (54) sacks Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill (10) on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis.
Wisconsin linebacker Jordan Turner (54) sacks Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill (10) on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Wisconsin BadgersIowa Hawkeyes

The Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes have one of the longest-running, hardest-fought rivalries in the Big Ten.

It hasn't looked that way in recent seasons, and this year's Badgers team needs to end the current losing streak.

The battle for the Heartland Trophy has been neck-and-neck over the 130 year history of these two teams. All-time, Wisconsin is 49-47-2 against Iowa, and they're coming dangerously close to giving up that lead.

The Hawkeyes have beaten the Badgers in their last three matchups, and those three losses have brought extra embarassment with them.

Anatomy of the losing streak

The worst one was last year, when lowa blew out Luke Fickell's squad 42-10. That score has remained top of mind for Wisconsin all offseason, doing 42 pushups at practices to remind them of the shame.

In 2023, the embarrassment was less about the margin of defeat and more about how the Hawkeyes got there.

The Badgers allowed only 15 points but couldn't muster more than two field goals in the home loss while giving up a safety in the process.

The worst part was, the win belonged to former Wisconsin four-star QB Deacon Hill, who had transferred to Iowa that season at beat his former team while throwing for only 37 yards in the game.

The first game of the current losing streak in 2022 was lopsided too, a 24-10 loss highlighted by three Wisconsin turnovers that included a pick six by Graham Mertz.

The Badgers had won five of the six previous matchups and consistently dominated the rivalry since 2010.

Fickell needs to get Wisconsin back to its winning ways against the Hawkeyes and end the recent embarrassing trend.

If not, the Badgers might go two full months without winning a game this season.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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