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Why Wisconsin vs. Iowa matchup is Badgers most important must-win game of the season

Lorin Cox|
Nov 2, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz (left) and Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell (right) talk before the game at Kinnick Stadium.
Nov 2, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz (left) and Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell (right) talk before the game at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

A Week 7 game against an unranked Iowa Hawkeyes team doesn't sound like a major college football matchup, but for the Wisconsin Badgers, this will be the most important game of the season.

It's the ultimate must-win game, and it goes well beyond just the rivalry and the Heartland Trophy.

The results could drastically shape Luke Fickell's future with the program.

Months without a win

The Badgers are desperate for any win they can find. They haven't won since September 6, when they beat Middle Tennessee.

Their next two games after Iowa are against No. 1 ranked Ohio State and No. 2 ranked Oregon.

If Wisconsin doesn't beat Iowa, they will almost certainly go a full two months without winning a game.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers need to end embarrassing losing streak to Iowa Hawkeyes

Their next matchup with an unranked opponent after this is Washington on November 8. The Badgers would carry a six-game losing streak into that game, with no guarantees of being able to beat the Huskies either.

Then it's two more ranked opponents in Indiana and Illinois to follow.

Luke Fickell desperately needs the win over Iowa to break up the losing streak and give the program signs of hope for the future.

Then you can add the Heartland Trophy battle and the homecoming festivities on top of it, and you have the recipe for the most important game of the season.

The rivalry against Minnesota might be more heated, but by the final game of the season, the result of that game won't matter much.

Beating Iowa is critical for keeping this team from falling apart or quitting on the season. It might be the difference between Fickell keeping his job or Wisconsin finding a way to pay his buyout.

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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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