Iowa football: How to watch, odds, and more for Iowa vs Wisconsin

The Iowa football program takes on the #18 Wisconsin Badgers tonight at Kinnick. Here are the last minute details you need to know before the game begins.

One could argue this is the most pivotal game in the Hawkeyes season. The Wisconsin Badgers were widely considered the top team in the Big Ten West until an early season upset by BYU last week showed some vulnerabilities we were not expecting. With the Badgers 2-1 and heading to Kinnick for a night game, this is the perfect opportunity for the Iowa football team to establish themselves as the front-runner to win the Big Ten West.

As I discussed with the Site Experts over at Badger of Honor, if the Iowa football team wins this game, it firmly places them in the driver’s seat of their division. Outside of Penn State, there are no overly daunting games the rest of the way. This game is just as crucial to Wisconsin. Win this and the Badgers are in the driver’s seat of the Big Ten West, lose this and there is a strong chance they don’t reach 10 wins.

Fans of Iowa football are excited because Kinnick gets a night game for the second weekend in a row as game time for the Iowa verse Wisconsin matchup is set for 730 PM CST. Fortunately for fans who are unable to make the trek to Iowa City, the game is one of the marquee matchups of the week and can be found on Fox. If you are unable to get access to Fox, the game can also be found on FuboTV.

Despite some bad weather yesterday and last night, it appears the weather should be fine for the game. It’ll be a brisk fall night in Iowa City when the sun goes down so add a hoodie to your Iowa football ensemble.

If you are looking to get a last-minute ticket, be prepared to pay a hefty price. With the amount of big matchups limited and this being such a big game for Iowa, ticket prices are getting ridiculous for this sellout game.

If you aren’t able to make the game, but want to join in on some of the festivities, the Big Ten Network is hosting a tailgate this morning from 9-11 AM!

Injuries

Although a few key players on the Iowa football team’s offense were missing the last few weeks, it appears they will hopefully be playing in today’s matchup. These players are season-opener starting back Ivory Kelly-Martin, speedster Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and offensive lineman Cole Banwart.

On Tuesday when Kirk addressed the media he had this to say:

"Today is our first real workday. They worked today. Hopefully they don’t wake up sore tomorrow. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. I think they all have a chance to be ready for the game."

Hopefully those three are ready to go today. Either way, we will keep you posted on what we hear from the on-field warm ups.

Odds

According to Oddsshark.com Wisconsin is favored of the Iowa football program by three points in today’s matchup. If you think Iowa will win, a money-line bet might be in your future otherwise you can take a stab at the over/under, which is currently set at 42.5. For reference, this game is traditionally low scoring.

In the last 14 games of the Heartland Trophy game, there have been eight games where the combined score of the two teams were under 42.5 points.

Recruits

There are a number of high-profile recruits that will be in Iowa City this weekend for the Iowa football game as can be expected. A big win could help move the needle for future Iowa Hawkeye recruiting classes.

This is why Rivals named Iowa one of the five schools with a huge weekend ahead of them in recruiting.

For up to date recruit attendance, follow Blaire Sanderson from the Iowa rivals site.

What to expect

I fully expect this to be an awesome game, and I wish I could be there tonight to cheer on the Iowa football team to a victory. Unfortunately, I will not be, but that just means I have more time to be posting to the Dear Old Gold twitter account throughout the game. Additionally, there will be analysis pieces during the game and after the game for your viewing pleasure.

If you haven’t had a chance to get up to speed on the matchup verse Wisconsin, check out our key matchups against Wisconsin piece and the three ways the Hawks needed to improve before taking our neighboring state Badgers.

Go Hawks!