Where to Watch Wisconsin vs. Iowa - Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC and Peacock

If you're a casual college football viewer, you might only be focused on the biggest teams with the highest rankings, particularly as we head into November and the launch of the College Football Playoff rankings. But there's more to the sport than just the top spots, and this is the time of year when the teams in the middle start to really show their stuff. 

As we head into the final third of the 2024 season, the teams that are doing well but not necessarily spectacularly well are fighting for position every bit as hard as the Top 10 teams. For these schools, every win is a chance at a bigger bowl game, a higher ranking, better national exposure, and an even better season next year, so the battles are often just as intense as the top-ranked contests. With that in mind, you'll definitely want to tune into Big Ten Saturday Night this week, when the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke (18) makes a throw during a college football game between the University of Wisconsin Badgers and the Penn State University Nittany Lions on October 26, 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI. Photo: Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What to expect from Wisconsin vs. Iowa

The Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes are, at least in terms of their records, pretty evenly matched. Both are 5-3, and both are 3-2 in Big Ten conference play, which means this is a key matchup for determining where each of them lands in the final season standings. Iowa's coming off a decisive win against Northwestern, while Wisconsin just lost a relatively close one to undefeated Penn State. The game could be pivotal for either school, so who's going to come out on top?

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On paper, at least, Iowa is the favorite. They're playing at home, they've got the top defensive player in the Big Ten with linebacker Jay Higgins, and the second best rusher in all of college football with Kaleb Johnson. They know how to pound the run game down the throats of defenses and keep the ball in their hands, and they've got a very tough defense. It seems like it's their game to lose.

But Wisconsin isn't coming into this game without weapons. When they're cooking, their defense can shut down even the most powerful offenses, and their offense, led by quarterback Braedyn Locke, is capable of putting up some very big numbers. They held No. 3 Penn State to 28 points, and that's really saying something in a year when the Nittany Lions are so good; just imagine what they can do against lower ranked teams. What matters now, of course, is which version of Wisconsin shows up in Iowa City. 

Tune in to NBC and Peacock all season long for Big Ten and Notre Dame football!