No. 13 Wisconsin will play host to No. 18 Iowa on Saturday in a critical battle for the Big Ten West. The winner of this crucial contest will stay within striking distance of No. 17 Minnesota in the divisional race. The Badgers have had two weeks to lick their wounds after getting smoked by No. 1 Ohio State, while the Hawkeyes rode a two-game winning streak -- including a 20-0 shutout of Northwestern -- into the bye week.
Both the Badgers and Hawkeyes will need big performances to keep up with the Penn State-Minnesota game, which is making headlines early Saturday afternoon. With plenty of time left in the season, Wisconsin in particular has an opportunity to make a big move if it can pull off a victory over Iowa. What will happen Saturday afternoon? Let's break down the game and make picks straight up and against the spread.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 9 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Camp Randall Stadium -- Madison, Wisconsin
TV: FOX | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Storylines
Wisconsin: Losers of two straight, the Badgers defense got torched by Ohio State two weeks ago to the tune of 431 yards and 5.99 yards per play. That came on the heels of the 24-23 loss to Illinois in which the defense gave up 5.63 yards per play. Those two games are the only two in which the Badgers have given up more than 4.9 yards per play this year. Is this a trend or is it the new normal? That's one of the biggest questions facing coach Paul Chryst heading into the end of the regular season. Running back Jonathan Taylor has been held under 100 yards in two of the last three games, including a 52-yard performance against Ohio State. That has put a little too much pressure on quarterback Jack Coan, who hasn't proven to be a difference-maker yet.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes are giving up just 10.1 points per game overall and 9.4 against Big Ten opponents in 2019. Defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa leads the team with 3.5 sacks, and has been demanding attention from opposing offensive coordinators all season long. That has helped the rest of the defense -- including Daviyon Nixon (3.0 sacks) -- become a force. Quarterback Nate Stanley got off to a hot start, but all five of his interceptions have come over the last four games and the only game since September that he has completed 60 percent or more of his passes was on Oct. 19 vs. Purdue (69.7 percent).
Game prediction, picks
This feels like it's going to be an old-school, defensive slugfest between two teams with traditionally stout defenses and run-first, play-action offenses. Because of that, I'll keep it simple and side with the team with the best player on the field. Taylor has been one of the best players in college football from the moment he stepped on the field as a freshman two seasons ago, and has expanded his role as a receiver out of the backfield during his junior season. The off week will allow the Badgers staff to hit the reset button, they'll get creative with Taylor and gut out a big home win -- but not a cover -- to keep pace in the West. Pick: Iowa (+8.5)
So what picks can you make with confidence in Week 11? And which line is way off, making it a must-back? Visit SportsLine to see which college football teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned over $4,000 in profit over the past four seasons.
