Wisconsin heads to Iowa for primetime battle on national television

Wisconsin is in a five-way tie for fifth place in the Big Ten standings.

Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes place kicker Drew Stevens (18) kicks a field goal over Wisconsin Badgers defensive end Rodas Johnson (56), defensive end Gio Paez (94) and defensive end Ben Barten (68) during the fourth quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-Imagn Images / Mark Hoffman-Imagn Images

The main event in Big Ten football this coming Saturday is the showdown between Ohio State and Penn State, but that game will get the national spotlight in the 11 a.m. CT kickoff window while the evening primetime matchup will feature Wisconsin and Iowa.

The annual dogfight for the Heartland Trophy will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT and be televised nationally on NBC. The Big Ten picked the battle between the Badgers and Hawkeyes in Iowa City as the primetime NBC game over another intriguing conference game between Minnesota and Illinois.

Wisconsin is coming off a 28-13 home loss to Penn State in which mistakes were problematic. Numerous dropped passes and an ugly interception thrown by Braedyn Locke was returned for a touchdown to help the Nittany Lions seal the victory in the fourth quarter.

The loss snapped Wisconsin's three-game win streak that had seen them beat up opponents by a combined score of 117-16.

This week's games will be critical for the final conference standings. Oregon and Indiana are tied at 5-0 in conference play, followed by 4-0 Penn State, 3-1 Ohio State, and then five teams tied at 3-2, including Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan.