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The Northwestern Wildcats (5-4, 2-3) will try to play spoiler and secure bowl eligibility as they travel to take on BCS No. 4 Iowa (9-0, 5-0) on Saturday. The Hawkeyes should be taking this game seriously since NU owns an active two-game winning streak at Kinnick Stadium, with the two teams splitting the last 10 in the series.
The Wildcats are coming off a hard-fought game against highly-ranked Penn State in Evanston that saw NU hold a 13-10 halftime edge and take a tie game into the fourth quarter before surrendering touchdowns on three consecutive PSU plays from scrimmage.
Iowa, meanwhile, escaped with a win over Indiana, who had the Hawkeyes on the ropes with a 21-7 halftime lead, only to watch Iowa come roaring back with a 28-point fourth quarter.
Iowa will be looking to run their 2009 win total into double digits and, coupled with a PSU win over Ohio State later in the day, all but secure a conference title. The Hawkeyes control their own destiny, as they face OSU in Columbus next week, which means Northwestern can play spoiler in its second consecutive potential opponent trap game.
Don't expect any of this to overtly affect Iowa, though, who have come from behind in every game but one in the 2009 season (the exception was against Arkansas State, who had the ball down by three with a chance to win at the end of the game).
The Hawkeyes feature the nation's 13th-best scoring defense and the nation's third-best pass efficiency defense, aided by a nation-leading 18 interceptions (which comes out to, of course, two per game).
Northwestern will be hoping to have QB Mike Kafka available to start the game after he came out in the second quarter of the PSU game with a leg injury. This season, Kafka has accounted for 70 percent of NU's total offense and 62 percent of the 'Cats' offensive touchdowns.
The Wildcats have had injury problems across the board, having started 20 different players on defense (just four have started every game of the year), and seeing three members of the running back by committee go down at various points of the year.
This has directly led to NU's 5-4 record, despite the fact that the Wildcats have had a second half lead in every game of the 2009 season (and have entered the fourth quarter trailing just one time).
Although Iowa's offense is nothing to write home about, they're tied for 74th nationally in scoring offense.
QB Ricky Stanzi has found a way to come up with the big play when it matters most, like his last-second fourth down touchdown pass at Michigan State two weeks ago to secure the come-from-behind victory.
Even as they see running back after running back go down with injuries, they continue to find ways to win games.
If Northwestern can put together a "complete game" by extending what they did against Penn State early in the game to the entire contest, the 'Cats have a good chance of playing spoiler for Iowa since the Hawkeyes haven't exactly been impressive so far this season.
The Wildcats cannot afford any major gaffes, though, and need Kafka in the game to provide some kind of offensive threat.
Opening Line
Iowa by 16.5.
Who Should Win
Iowa. They're fourth in the BCS rankings, are off to the best start in school history, and currently stand alone atop the Big Ten conference standings.
They have a suffocating defense and find ways to win games despite being down (even by large margins).
And they find ways to overcome their own mistakes, like they did in their 18-point win over Indiana last week despite yielding six turnovers.
They seem destined to roll to the Rose Bowl, with the national championship game still in the picture if a team above them slips.
Upset Factor
For the second straight week, NU is hoping that its opponent is looking forward to a bout with Ohio State as the 'Cats look to catch their opponent in a trap game.
NU showed it could move the ball against a stout defense with Kafka at the helm and could more than hold its own, at least for three quarters.
Iowa's offense isn't nearly as dangerous as Penn State's, and they make their share of errors, so if NU can move the ball well at all (meaning Kafka needs to play) and can capitalize on any Iowa errors, they could run their Iowa City winning streak to three.
What to Look for
Northwestern Offense/Iowa Defense
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