Senior writer Jake Kocorowski breaks down 10 things to watch for and know before the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers host the No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday inside Camp Randall Stadium.
1. Saturday starts a critical month where not just three trophies are on the line, but Wisconsin is in a must-win situation each week.
Both Iowa and Wisconsin sit at 6-2 on the season, 3-2 during conference play. The two rivals look up to No. 13 Minnesota, which sits undefeated at 8-0 and hosts No. 5 Penn State this weekend.
Simply put, logic in this situation dictates UW needs to win out and get some help to represent the Big Ten West in Indianapolis. The road will not be easy starting with an Iowa team that has shown a stifling run defense and kept opponents off the scoreboard.
Also on the line is the Heartland Trophy, which Wisconsin has held in its possession since 2016. UW leads the all-time series, 47-43-2, with the Badgers holding a 27-19-1 advantage when playing in Madison.
2. There are a lot of Wisconsin ties to the Iowa program.
There are 15 players on Iowa's roster whose reside within the Badger State. BadgerBlitz.com's Jon McNamara has noted the battles between the two programs on the recruiting trail throughout the years, but a few Wisconsin-born Hawkeyes also are making huge impacts on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, that starts with quarterback Nate Stanley and running back Toren Young, while defensively, linebacker Tristan Welch -- though injured and will miss the game on Saturday -- leads the team in tackles.
Head coach Paul Chryst recalled the recruiting battles between Iowa and Wisconsin within the state "was really something" when he was a football player in the 1980s, noting how current UW athletic director Barry Alvarez was at Iowa at the time as a then-assistant coach.
"There's good players in this state, and we try to keep every one of them here, right?" Chryst said. "It doesn't always work that way. They've done a great job. Kirk [Ferentz]'s done a great job. I got a ton of respect for him and their program and what they've done, and yet, we're always competing, right?
"This Saturday we're competing on the field, and every other day, you're competing in recruiting and that's all part of it."
As also noted in UW's game notes, a number of Badgers and Hawkeyes have played on the same team in high school:
*Stanley and UW fullback Mason Stokke both hail from Menomonie High School
*Young and UW kicker Collin Larsh played for Monona Grove near Madison
*Wisconsin guard Kayden Lyles and Iowa fullback Joe Ludwig played for Middleton, a suburb of Madison
*Wisconsin left tackle Cole Van Lanen and Iowa offensive lineman (and former Badgers recruiting target) Jack Plumb both played at Bay Port High School in Green Bay
*Both UW defensive end C.J. Goetz and Iowa wide receiver Max Cooper played for in-state powerhouse Waukesha Catholic Memorial
For that matter, Ludwig also has more ties to the program, as father, Andy, was Wisconsin's offensive coordinator from 2013-14.
