Iowa-Wisconsin — it’s always been a special and important matchup for the two programs. It was all kicked up a notch when Barry Alvarez was hired and the two programs became even more competitive with each other.
Today the rivalry includes the fight for the Heartland Trophy, and after a long lay-off in the series the Badgers will host the Hawkeyes for the first time since 2009. Wisconsin owns a 5-4 edge in the series since the Heartland Trophy was introduced in 2004.
Given this is also the 89th meeting between the two teams, there is plenty of history to draw from. However, we’ve narrowed it all down to the five biggest Badgers victories between these rivals since the opener in 1894.
Here they are…
5. Wisconsin 13, Iowa 10 — 1997
One could mark this as the moment these two teams really began to hate one another. That’s because it was the Badgers’ first victory in the series under Barry Alvarez and it was also the win that broke Iowa’s 18-year unbeaten streak against Wisconsin (17 wins, 1 tie).
After years of struggle, Wisconsin now had the upper hand in the matchup for the fist time in my lifetime and the lifetimes of many young Badger fans that would grow to turn this program in to a perennial winner on and off the field.
The game itself wasn’t a particularly high scoring affair, but there’s little doubt this game held major significance to these two programs.
As for the contest itself, it felt like the Badgers were on their way to an easy win in the second quarter. UW scored 13 unanswered points in the second stanza. However, Iowa made things real interesting down the stretch, making it a 13-10 game with 8:01 to play in the fourth quarter.
Fate was perhaps on the Badgers’ side in this one, as a Iowa kicker Matt Bromert went just 1 of 3 on field goals, including a miss from 43 yards with just 3:50 left to play. Had he hit any of the two misses we’re talking about a tie game between two teams that were midlings in the Big Ten that season.
This win had much more to do with what happened in the coming years than anything it did for the 2007 season for the Badgers.
4. Wisconsin 41, Iowa 3 — 1999
This was the first battle between Barry Alvarez and Kirk Ferentz and it didn’t end well for the newcomer. Iowa came to Camp Randall riding a horrendous losing streak and the Badgers kicked them while they were down.
So, why is this a top five victory? Well, duh…its a rivalry and kicking the crap out of them when they are terrible is always fun. Oh, and it was another notch on the belt as the Badgers built a Big Ten championship squad and went to the Rose Bowl.
How good of a day was it for Wisconsin? Ron Dayne went for 216 yards and quarterback Brooks Bollinger, yes Brooks freakin’ Bollinger went off for 115 yards rushing himself. He also completed just nine passes for 144 yards and an unreal rate of three touchdowns in the winning effort.
Simply put, Wisconsin put a major beat down on the Hawkeyes and reminded Kirk Ferentz what it means to play some “big boy” football. Oh, and Wisconsin regained the series lead with this win too boot.
3. No. 16 Wisconsin 24, Iowa 21 — 2006
Wisconsin broke a four-game losing streak to the hated Hawkeyes in 2006, and it was made all the more strange and satisfying as first-year head coach Bret Bielema took down the team he played for back in the day.
Bielema’s bunch didn’t have it easy in this matchup though, as it let a 10-0 first quarter led slip to a 14-10 deficit midway through the second quarter. Then it saw the lead see-saw until Wisconsin took a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Iowa scored once more, but the Badgers defense hung on for the final 10:20 of the game and gave itself continued hope of a Big Ten title. Ultimately it was a 7-1 Big Ten season and Ohio State taking home the conference title.
Wisconsin finished No. 5 in the Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the AP Poll — a highly memorable season in Bret Bielema’s first go-round as a head coach.
2. No. 14 Wisconsin 26, Iowa 24 — 2014
Just one year ago, the Badgers found themselves with a slim margin for error in the final month of the Big Ten season. After losing early in conference play to Northwestern, the Badgers could stare down a simple scenario of win-and-in for the Big Ten championship game during the final two weeks.
However, it felt like the Badgers slept on Iowa in a big way throughout this contest for the Heartland Trophy. It was hard not to, with the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe up next and a winner-take-all scenario added to it with a win over Iowa.
Wisconsin seemed to be on cruise control throughout the first two-and-a-half quarters of football, going up 19-3 midway through the third quarter. Unfortunately, it couldn’t hold on and the Hawkeyes got to within 19-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Midway through the final quarter, Melvin Gordon’s 23-yard touchdown run would put the Badgers up 26-17 and give them jus enough to push over the finish line.
1. No. 11 Wisconsin 31, No. 12 Iowa 30 — 2010
Could these teams have been any closer? Coming in to this game it appeared like a winner take all for not only the Heartland Trophy but the final Big Ten championship decided in the regular season. Iowa hadn’t been to the Rose Bowl since 1990 and hadn’t made a BCS bowl since the Orange Bowl appearance following the 2002 season.
The winner would likely head to Pasadena, as this matchup came in late October and would set up the winner to control their destiny in a crazy Big Ten race.
As crazy as the Big Ten race was, this game was even more insane. There were more plot twists and false-endings than a Steven King novel, yet as the final seconds ticked off the clock it was the Wisconsin Badgers that would go on to victory and end a two-game Hawkeyes winning streak in the series.
Just how crazy was it? The lead changed only eight times after the Badgers went up 3-0 to start the contest.
It also created a three-way log jam at the top of the Big Ten standings that allowed a one-loss Badgers team to top the team they lost to and the team they beat (Ohio State) en route to a Rose Bowl berth.
Little did Badger fans know it was the start of three-straight Rose Bowl berths, and three-straight heartbreaking matchups against the best of the best in college football.
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