Wisconsin's defense is the story on the other side. USC came to Madison ranked No. 16 and left with 241 yards of offense. Jayden Maiava threw 2 interceptions in the first quarter and was sacked 5 times. It was Wisconsin's first win over the Trojans since USC joined the Big Ten. It also came a week after a 17-7 loss at UCLA where the offense barely showed up, which is the reminder that this team's floor can be very low.
Northern Iowa55-0The schedules look alike more than the records suggest. Both teams lost to UCLA or Ohio State-level competition and both won a tight road game against a Big Ten name. Wisconsin won 24-20 at Penn State, and Iowa won 20-19 at Michigan. Iowa's ceiling is higher on paper: 55-0 over Northern Iowa and 41-24 at Washington. But the Hawkeyes scored 14 against Ohio State and 10 against Minnesota, and those are the games that look like this one. Wisconsin has held 4 of its last 5 opponents to 10 points or fewer.
The early forecast for Kinnick calls for 62 degrees, drizzle, an 11 mph wind and a 40% chance of rain. That suits two teams that would happily win 17-13. Wisconsin sits 3-1 in conference play and Iowa is 2-2 after Minneapolis, so the Hawkeyes are the team that can't afford another November-style loss at home. The question for Iowa is whether Brown can handle a full game behind a line facing a pass rush that just sacked a ranked team's quarterback 5 times.
Watch Brown's practice reports this week, and whether O'Neil's status changes for Wisconsin. Joseph has been good enough to win games when the defense plays this well. If Brown is healthy enough to start, Iowa has the better resume and the home crowd. If he isn't, this looks a lot like the Minnesota game, where a field goal decided it.