Kickoff: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Wisconsin -10.5, Total: 51.5

No. 16 Wisconsin looks to keep its hold on the top spot in the Big Ten West standings with a road win over Iowa on Saturday.

The Badgers have been dominant over their past five games; going 5-0 SU (4-1 ATS) while taking victories by an average of 29.0 PPG. They have also done very well in their conference with a 5-1 record while absorbing their one loss when they traveled to Northwestern on Oct. 4 as 7.5-point favorites and fell 20-14. Their most recent victory was the biggest of the season so far as they hosted a tough Nebraska program as 5-point favorites and blew the game open with a 59-24 win behind 627 yards of offense (581 rushing). The defense was impressive as well, holding a usually potent Cornhuskers offense to a mere 180 yards in a game where the two teams combined for nine turnovers. This matchup gives the Hawkeyes, 4-2 in Big Ten, a chance to jump into the conference championship picture. They are 5-5 ATS on the year and were able to cover as 5.5-point favorites last week in a 30-14 win over Illinois on the road. The defense failed to force any turnovers for the second consecutive game, but the Hawkeyes were able to run with ease (304 rushing yards) while totaling 587 yards of offense. The Badgers had no trouble taking care of Iowa last season, as they won 28-9 as 8.5-point favorites on the road. Wisconsin outscored the Hawkeyes 21-3 in the second half and picked up 218 yards on the ground (4.8 YPC) and forced two interceptions. Some betting trends to watch for in this contest include that the Badgers are 9-1 ATS (90%) after two or more consecutive ATS wins over the past two seasons while Iowa has gone 17-4 ATS (81%) in home games after a game where it forced no turnovers since 1992. As far as injuries are concerned, both Wisconsin and the Hawkeyes have no significant omissions from this Big Ten matchup.

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It is well known what the Badgers are going to do on offense, run the ball, and to the tune of 351.2 YPG (3rd in FBS) while adding just 142 YPG of passing and scoring the 11th-most points in the nation (39.0 PPG). QBs Tanner McEvoy (709 pass yards, 5 TD, 6 INT) and Joel Stave (688 pass yards, 6 TD, 4 INT) work in tandem to keep this offense running smoothly, as McEvoy is more of a runner (498 rush yards, 5 TD) while Stave has averaged just over 17 passing attempts per game in the past six contests. The carousel at quarterback does not take the attention away from superstar HB Melvin Gordon (1,909 rush yards, 23 TD) who broke an FBS record for rushing yards in a game with 408 (on 16.3 YPC) in last week’s dominance of Nebraska. He has gone for over 200 yards four times this year and has scored multiple touchdowns in seven games, as he is averaging 8.6 YPC on the season. Backup HB Corey Clement (742 rush yards, 8 TD) has also been impressive in the ground game while getting 6.2 YPC and has scored at least one touchdown in four of the past five contests. WR Alex Erickson (480 rec yards, 3 TD) leads the team with 37 receptions, while WR Sam Arneson (276 rec yards, 4 TD) has the most scores through the air. Their offense has been impressive, but it is their defense that is underrated while giving up a meager 15.3 PPG (3rd in FBS) behind the strong play of LBs Vince Biegel (44 tackles, 6.5 sacks), Derek Landisch (59 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT), and DB Michael Caputo (70 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1 INT).

Iowa brings a balanced offensive attack into this game as it has gained 236.3 YPG through the air and 163.3 YPG on the ground while scoring 28.1 PPG. QB Jake Rudock (1,863 pass yards, 12 TD, 4 INT) has two 300-yard performances this season and is coming off a solid game (14-for-21, 210 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) in the victory over Illinois last week. HB Mark Weisman (676 rush yards, 14 TDs) has gained a low 4.0 YPC, but has proven he knows how to get into the end zone with 30 rushing TD in the last three seasons. He’s coming off his biggest performance in terms of yardage this season, as he tallied 134 yards on 23 attempts (5.8 YPC) last week while failing to score for just the second game. There are four different receivers with between 30 and 39 receptions on the team, as WR Kevonte Martin-Manley (398 rec yards, 1 TD) leads the team in catches (39) while WR Tevaun Smith (410 rec yards, 2 TD) has recorded the most yards. The defense for this team is solid, as it allows 22.5 PPG (30th in nation) to its opponents, but has given up more than 35 points twice in the past four games. DLs Drew Ott (48 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 1 INT), Louis Trinca-Pasat (58 tackles, 6.5 sacks) and LB Quinton Alston (69 tackles, 2 sacks) will be leaned on to try and stop one of the best rushing attacks in the nation.