Wisconsin-Iowa score predictions from the Badgers On SI staff

Can the Badgers bounce back and pick up a win on the road against Iowa?

Sep 22, 2018; Iowa City, IA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers safety Eric Burrell (25) and cornerback Deron Harrell (8) and cornerback Travian Blaylock (26) and teammates surround the Heartland Trophy after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Life rolls on in the Big Ten, as the Wisconsin football team will travel to Iowa City, Iowa, for another tough conference matchup against the Hawkeyes on Saturday. It will be an opportunity for the Badgers to pick up their sixth win and get back on track before welcoming top-ranked Oregon to Madison, Wis., in two weeks.

Will the Badgers be able to get back on track? Our staff makes their picks:

Tony Liebert: Iowa: 20, Wisconsin 17

With Cade McNamara recovering from a concussion, Northwestern transfer quarterback Brendan Sullivan will be making his first start for the Hawkeyes. This game should be a classic low-scoring Big Ten affair, but I think the Hawkeyes offense is playing well enough right now to make one more play and lean on their home crowd at night.

Joe Nelson: Iowa 31, Wisconsin 23

Braedyn Locke threw a terrible interception against Penn State, and he didn't get much help as his receivers were dropping passes left and right. It was a tough loss for the Badgers, and now they have to try and slow down Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who has literally been a hot knife through butter against everyone. Johnson's "worst" game of the season was against Ohio State, and he still finished with 15 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. On top of that, Iowa appears to be starting Brendan Sullivan at quarterback, which gives the Hawkeyes a dual-threat under center. It might be a rough night at Kinnick Stadium for Wisconsin.

Will Ragatz: Iowa 20, Wisconsin 16

This has all the makings of a tough, physical matchup between these two former Big Ten West rivals, who are allowing around 19 points per game. Iowa is at home and has the conference’s leading rushing attack with star running back Kaleb Johnson, which doesn’t bode well for the Badgers. Braedyn Locke and Wisconsin’s passing game did some nice things during the three-game winning streak against inferior opponents, but Iowa’s pass rush and secondary are solid. The Hawkeyes win a tight one.

Nolan O'Hara: Wisconsin 21, Iowa 7

The Badgers enter Saturday’s game at Iowa with a 5-3 record, fresh off a 28-13 loss to third-ranked Penn State. While that temporarily halted their momentum, they have a chance to get back on track against the Hawkeyes — also 5-3 — with their backs against the wall. Quarterback Cade McNamara will not play while he continues to work his way through concussion protocol. That leaves Brendan Sullivan, who replaced McNamara in the second half and completed 11-of-16 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown in their 40-14 win over Northwestern last week, as the starter for Saturday’s showdown. While Sullivan played well as McNamara’s fill-in, it was against a 3-5 Wildcats team that’s lost five straight, and in blowout fashion. The Hawkeyes also feature a standout running back in Kaleb Johnson, but the Badgers boast a much stronger defense than the Wildcats, and they’ll do everything they can to zero in on Johnson and make Sullivan beat them through the air. Even at home, starting a backup quarterback against a Badgers team that will be hungry after last week’s loss to the Nittany Lions won’t be a recipe for success for the Hawkeyes.