By Jordan Hansen
It’s not much of a stretch to say Iowa’s game on Saturday is the biggest to this point of the season.
The Big Ten “Tailgate” (the conference network’s iteration of ESPN’s “College GameDay”) is coming to town, it’s the America Needs Farmers game, and, oh yeah, No. 10 Wisconsin is coming to town for a game with huge West Division implications.
There’s a lot going on, and somehow the Hawkeyes have to tune it all out.
“The thing about them, they’re tough to play in Madison, they’re tough to play in Kinnick,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “No matter where they go, they play well, and that’s a sign of a good team.
“We’ve got a big challenge on our hands that way.”
Plenty of former Iowa stars will be in attendance as well. Former tight end Dallas Clark will be added to the ANF Wall of Honor and will join the hosts of the Big Ten “Tailgate” on the show.
“This is home,” he said on Tuesday. “If you want me to pick up groceries or something, give me any reason to come back to Iowa City. I don’t think I’ve worn out my welcome, but I’m familiar with the area.”
Pat Angerer and Chuck Long are also slated to be on air and sign autographs during the pregame festivities.
A number of Iowa coaches, including head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery, head women’s coach Lisa Bluder, and wrestling coach Tom Brands have also said they will make appearances on the Krause Family Plaza.
Breakfast will be served, and signs are expected in what should be a pretty good prelude to the game. There will be a DJ and the tailgate opens at 8 a.m., with the Big Ten Tailgate starting at 9:30 a.m.
“We’ve got a rabid fanbase, and we really want everyone to turn out,” Associate Athletics Director Charles Taylor said. “It’s the first year they’ve done the show, and we’re really excited that we are one of their first stops.”
While the pregame atmosphere should be something to behold, the game itself provides a huge opportunity for the Hawkeyes to get back in the thick of the Big Ten Race.
Iowa would control its own destiny, because it plays Nebraska — currently the only undefeated team in the West Division — at the end of the year. A win against Wisconsin would give the Hawkeyes a tiebreaker that could become crucial at the end of the season.
Beyond just simple wins and losses, it’s a chance for Iowa to recapture a little of the magic it had a season ago. An afternoon upset against the Badgers would be huge for the team in a whole bunch of ways, and this game seems to be a perfect setting for it.
“I think our whole team is really going to have to be alert and really sound. All that being said, they’re going to make some plays,” Ferentz said. “They’re good, and they’re really disruptive defensively, so we have to weather that and fight through that.”
