CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Four => Big Ten => Topic started by: SFBadger96 on October 07, 2025, 12:12:08 PM
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This is the kind of game that will gut punch Badger fans because there is a path to victory. Iowa wants to run the ball and little else. That is just what the Badgers are good at stopping. So the good news is this is a strength-on-strength match-up. The problem is Iowa has a good defense, which is likely to shut down a Badger offense that can't seem to block for the run or the pass. It is odd to look at a Wisconsin offense that has some legit playmakers in the backfield and out wide, but they can't get them going because the blocking just isn't there.
Ferentz is and always has been a conservative play-caller. With a mess of a Badger offense coming to town, he's going to be happy to grind away, play for field position, and take the points when they are available. The Badgers are unlikely to make much headway against a stingy defense, and the Badger defense has not been creating turnovers, so good luck generating chances there.
I was probably a little facetious calling this a 6-2 game, but I think Iowa wins a low-scoring affair. Maybe 13-3? The O/U is 36.5. I'm not a gambler, but if I were, I would take the under.
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Wisconsin will have a real shot in this one. home field advantage is a real thing. not sure Iowa has the QB to go over the top like Maryland's true freshman stud. this will be a close fought low scoring defensive battle. ugly rock fight game. Wisconsin has a legit shot at winning this if they take care of the football on offense and play good special teams.
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Homecoming. It's really a must-win if they want to get past 2-3 wins this season.
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So you guys don't anticipate any twelving?
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Total combined score might be twelve.
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I concede I'm still not sure what twelving is...but I think it's derogatory.
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I concede I'm still not sure what twelving is...but I think it's derogatory.
It is a derogatory term that started being used around here in reference to the "defense optional" type high-scoring games that used to occur with some frequency in the old Big12.
@Brutus Buckeye (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=31) was clearly joking as I think most of us would agree with @847badgerfan (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=5) that the total combined score in this game might not be 12.
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I concede I'm still not sure what twelving is...but I think it's derogatory.
It's Fro's term, and he defines it as a game where the losing team scores more than 40 points, iirc.
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I will say the off week was good for Iowa
Iowa's starting QB Mark Gronowski has been medically cleared to play after getting hurt against Indiana. But its not 100% certain he will start. If not Hank Brown will start at QB.
Iowa's RB's continue to play musical chairs. This week Moulton and McNeil are in. Patterson and Washington are out due to being banged up.
Iowa WR Reese Vander Zee has been cleared and is good to go after being out the first 5 games of the season.
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kind of leaning Wisconsin at home I think. feel like Wisconsin will shut down the run game of Iowa and that Luke Fickell needs a win here A LOT more than Kirk Ferentz- especially with Ohio State coming to town right after and then a cross country trip to Oregon. feels like a gotta have it game at home at night if you want to make a bowl and keep your job.
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feels like a gotta have it game at home at night if you want to make a bowl and keep your job.
So Fickell now has perspective?
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kind of leaning Wisconsin at home I think. feel like Wisconsin will shut down the run game of Iowa and that Luke Fickell needs a win here A LOT more than Kirk Ferentz- especially with Ohio State coming to town right after and then a cross country trip to Oregon. feels like a gotta have it game at home at night if you want to make a bowl and keep your job.
But that wasn't enough against Maryland...it's going to be enough here?
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But that wasn't enough against Maryland...it's going to be enough here?
styles make fights.
Maryland has an uber talented physical specimen true freshman QB with a rocket arm that could potentially be a 1st round NFL draft pick in a couple years if he continues to develop and they have a couple of sneaky good better than you think they are veteran WR's.
Iowa? trying to be nice here but not sure Iowa has the QB or WR's to exploit Wisconsin's weakness in the secondary. it's going to be a low scoring rock fight- if Wisconsin can shut down the Iowa run game and take care of the football on offense and play field position/special teams- they can absolutely win this game.
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Oh, September Maryland is a perennial NC contender, that was the true injustice on the Wisconsin schedule.
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Yes, I understand the differences between the types of football the teams play. And, as noted at the outset, this is the kind of game where you can see how Wisconsin could win it. But...this Wisconsin offense is really, really bad. The defensive front will make Iowa earn its points, and probably not very many, but probably won't score points for Wisconsin. And that is where this all falls apart. Wisconsin may be "in" this game for most of it, because the point differential may not be very big. I just have a hard time seeing how the offense will perform well enough to win. First team to 10 probably wins it. That will be Iowa.
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The Iowa offense looked pretty bad against Iowa St and Indiana, but looked pretty good against Rutgers. Iowa should be good enough to beat a below average Wisconsin team.
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I have a weird feeling about this one.
This Wisconsin team is built with 42 points in mind. Specifically, the front 7 on defense. The team worked on it all offseason and concluded each workout and practice with 42 pushups.
They will deliver for homecoming tomorrow.
Wisconsin 13
Iowa 10
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The Iowa offense looked pretty bad against Iowa St and Indiana, but looked pretty good against Rutgers. Iowa should be good enough to beat a below average Wisconsin team.
Rutgers defense stinks. In total defense they are ranked in the 80's. As far their pass defense goes they rank 113th in defensive EPA/pass, 124th in opposing yards per play, and 117th in opposing passing yards per attempt in the FBS. Probably why Iowa's offense looked good vs that defense.
Wisconsin is still top 5 in the country in rush defense even after giving up 175 on the ground to Michigan last week. They are ranked 40 in total defense- but largely because the pass defense is below average. Not completely comical like Rutgers' pass defense- just well below average.
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I have a weird feeling about this one.
This Wisconsin team is built with 42 points in mind. Specifically, the front 7 on defense. The team worked on it all offseason and concluded each workout and practice with 42 pushups.
They will deliver for homecoming tomorrow.
Wisconsin 13
Iowa 10
13 + 10 doesn't add up to 42
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Serious question, who actually cares about Homecoming at any large school? I can see it's kinda of a thing at small colleges, but seriously who the F cares about it really? And why?
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the Greeks at UNL care, not much for the rest of the student body or definitely not the average football fan
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13 + 10 doesn't add up to 42
Iowa scored 42 against Wisconsin last year.
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:67:
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Just a quick note. This game starts at 6pm, not 2pm as shown in the thread title.
Iowa's next game against Penn St will also be at night. That means 5 out of Iowa's first 7 games have been or will be at night.
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well, he's on the left coast
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I'm on the East Coast. 7PM it is.
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well, he's on the left coast
Left coast of Alaska?
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Left coast of Alaska?
Guam.
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Serious question, who actually cares about Homecoming at any large school? I can see it's kinda of a thing at small colleges, but seriously who the F cares about it really? And why?
Well, you see, Iowa, for example, builds this big corn monument every year for homecoming. I am sure other schools do cool stuff like that too on homecoming.
https://asce.sites.uiowa.edu/corn-monument
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Both of these teams should hire option coaches next, just to screw with Nebraska.
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(https://i.imgur.com/zgdimjM.jpeg)
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Yeah. Pretty much
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tc8xG6KX1Y
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Iowa scored 42 against Wisconsin last year.
The silver lining is that they held them under 42 this year.
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The silver lining is that they held them under 42 this year.
"Nice" comment from 3rd base.
I'm beside myself with this team, coach, organization. Everything.
This is worse than 1989.
I have no words.
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"Nice" comment from 3rd base.
I'm beside myself with this team, coach, organization. Everything.
This is worse than 1989.
I have no words.
I think you can say it. Wisconsin has officially bottomed out. With UCLA and NW recently turning it around, it may be time to declare Wisconsin the worst team in the Big Ten. Although Purdue and Mich St are still in the running.
Luke Fickel's hot seat just burst into flames.
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I think you can say it. Wisconsin has officially bottomed out. With UCLA and NW recently turning it around, it may be time to declare Wisconsin the worst team in the Big Ten. Although Purdue and Mich St are still in the running.
Luke Fickel's hot seat just burst into flames.
I don't know about that.
Seems like the O$U reject can pour more gas on the dumpster fire.
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I don't see how they can keep him after a 37-0 beat down in a night home game on home coming to an Iowa team that was offensively challenged vs just about everyone else they played.
Fickell has to go. team has quit on him- and once the coach loses the team he ain't getting them back.
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I saw the score this morning and thought, well, you can imagine. I had to recheck the score.
Didn't see the game, I guess it was BAD.
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I saw the score this morning and thought, well, you can imagine. I had to recheck the score.
Didn't see the game, I guess it was BAD.
It was over in the 1Q. Wisconsin turned it over on 3 straight drives and Iowa cashed in with easy scores.