Iowa's Key to Success vs. Wisconsin

At 3-2 (1-1) the Iowa Hawkeyes are rather squarely in the middle of the B1G pack, having floated consistently around the 9-10 spot of the league’s 18-team pull for the better part of the still-young year.

Following their loss to the then 11th ranked Indiana Hoosiers prior to the bye week, many came to the conclusion that, much like last year, Iowa was once again doomed to remain between a rock and a hard place; neither competing for a higher status in the conference, nor falling below the line for reasons beyond their control.

Now, though, following a major loss within the conference, the hatch to higher ground has been opened for the Hawkeyes once more. 

The Penn State Nittany Lions, in historic fashion, took their second conference (and overall) loss of the season on the road against the previously winless UCLA Bruins last weekend, whilst Iowa had the benefit of watching the whole thing go down from the nest.

Given the Nittany Lions’ regular stature as a top conference competitor, their disastrous fall from grace has cleared the path for another team to take their place. With Iowa set to host Penn State, undoubtedly still reeling from their back-to-back losses, in just two weeks, the time to strike couldn’t be any more apparent for the Hawkeyes. 

But first, they’ll have to travel to Wisconsin and beat the Badgers on the road; and despite his plan to play, quarterback Mark Gronowski can’t be expected to perform at full health.

So what’s the plan for Iowa, then? Well, it’ll likely come down to some good old fashioned, beat-em-up football if the Hawkeyes are to escape the must-win environment with their season in-tact. At 2-3 (0-2), the Badgers have struggled to both score against, and oppositely, stop opposing teams after their first two wins against non-conference adversaries.