Wisconsin - Ten things to watch

The 86th meeting of the Wisconsin Badgers and the Iowa Hawkeyes will be a barn burner, much like recent history.  The two teams are linked by several factors, Wisconsin's head coach and athletic director are former Hawkeye coaches.  Both teams are more "old school" in their approach to football, you won't see spread formations or wildcat formations on Saturday.  What you will see is two teams that rely heavily on their offensive and defensive lines and quarterbacks that don't make mistakes.  Here are ten things that will help determine the outcome of the game.

1. Iowa's defensive line vs Wisconsin's offensive line.  You could bill this one as the clash of the titans.  Wisconsin's offensive line and Iowa's defensive line were both touted by many pundits as one of the best in their respective units.  Both lines have several future NFL players and have not disappointed yet this season.  Iowa's defensive line has helped Iowa's defense to remain one of the toughest defenses in the nation.  Wisconsin's offensive line has paved the way for two running backs that both average over 80 yards per game and are the most productive running back duos in the nation.  The unit that wins this battle will go a long way to determine the outcome of the game.
2. Scott Tolzien vs. Rick Stanzi  Both teams bring in fifth year seniors at quarterback.  Both Tolzien and Stanzi win ball games, bottom line.  In last years game, Tolzien threw three interceptions and Stanzi threw none, that was the major difference in the game.  Whichever starting quarterback gives his team the best chance to win will determine the winner of this game.
3. Lance Kendricks vs Tyler Nielsen.  Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin's leading receiver, is their tight end and will be on the field most of the game.  Kendricks isn't your typical tight end however, he is a much better pass catcher than he is a blocker.  Wisconsin will move him around in formations and will even split him out often.  He will be matched up against Iowa's sam linebacker, Tyler Nielsen, most of the game.  So far this season, Nielsen has proven that he is great in pass coverage.  Kendricks is Tolzien's favorite target in the red zone, catching three of his seven touchdown passes.
4. Wisconsin lacks a deep threat.  So far on the season, Wisconsin's longest pass reception is 45 yards.  They don't have a lot of deep routes either, they run a lot of intermediate and quick routes.  The routes that they run are the exact routes that you have to run to have success against the Iowa defense.  Also don't look for much in the screen department, it is just not a play that Wisconsin likes to run.
5. Rain, rain go away.  Forecast is for rain and a lot of it.  In the morning the showers are supposed to begin and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon.  There is no real advantage for either team more than the other team.  A wet field will help Wisconsin, because they want to run the ball, it will help Iowa because Iowa will go with play-action passes and when a receiver knows where and when he will cut, he has an advantage on a defensive back who might slip with quick movements.
6. The "Norm" chant.  Iowa fans started the idea of chanting "Norm" on third down to honor the defensive coordinator, who had his foot amputated due to diabetes a few weeks ago.  Then the University got behind the idea and started to promote it.  If the fans in the stadium come through, it will be a great tribute to one of Iowa's greatest coordinators ever.
7. JJ Watt vs Riley Reiff and Markus Zusevics  Watt is the heart and soul of the Wisconsin defense, in the last three games, he has had four sacks and 7 tackles for loss.  Iowa's tackles will have to be ready for Watt as he is a fierce pass rusher and is also tough to run against.  If Iowa can contain Watt, they will be able to move the ball with both the run and pass.
8. Wisconsin letdown.  Last week Wisconsin played the #1 team in the nation at home and won, will they be able to come out and give the same kind of effort a week later.  Many teams fear the hangover of winning a big game.  You will know right away if Wisconsin has a hangover or not, if Iowa gets up early it could mean game over for Wisconsin as they are a running team that passes to set up the pass.
9. The Red Zone  Wisconsin has turned their last 23 red zone trips into touchdowns while Iowa has only allowed 9 scores in 17 trips by their opponents.  If Wisconsin completes their drives with touchdowns, Iowa will struggle to win.  If Iowa keeps the Badgers to field goal attempts, a victory for Iowa is in sight.
10. Iowa's wide receivers  If Rick Stanzi is given time, Iowa's receivers will find a lot of open space in the Badger secondary.  The Badger secondary isn't the best and can't match Iowa's talent at the receiver position.  Like every week, if Iowa can establish the run, it will setup the play-action pass.  Look for Stanzi to take a few shots deep and be successful on a couple of those attempts.