Wisconsin Badgers vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/31/2026

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 31, 2026

Venue:  Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Wisconsin +3.5, Iowa -3.5; Over/Under:  36.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Wisconsin +3.5, Iowa -3.5; Over/Under:  36.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Wisconsin +3.5, Iowa -3.5; Over/Under:  36.5 points

Wisconsin Badgers:  5-2 (3-1) (6th place, Big Ten)

Iowa Hawkeyes:  5-2 (2-2) (11th place, Big Ten)

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Wisconsin Badgers:  won their last game at home against the USC Trojans 24-7.

Iowa Hawkeyes:  lost their last game on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers 13-10.

Wisconsin is entering this game with a 5-2 record overall and they have a 3-1 record in their conference games too. They are 4-0 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-1 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against USC 24-7. Colton Joseph was the starting QB and he completed 12/14 passes for 58 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Abu Sama III led the team in rushing yards with 71. Eugene Hilton Jr. led the receivers with 18 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Cooper Catalano led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Sebastian Cheeks led the defense in sacks with 2.5. Bryce West and Cairo Skanes each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Iowa is entering this game with a 5-2 record overall and they have a 2-2 record in their conference games too. They are 3-1 in their home games, 2-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Minnesota 13-10. Jeremy Hecklinski was the starting QB and he completed 9/16 passes for 62 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception before getting replaced by Hank Brown who completed 11/21 passes for 136 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. L.J. Phillips Jr. led the team in rushing yards with 25. Reece Vander Zee led the receivers with 69 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Zach Lutmer led the defense in that game with 11 tackles while Luke Gaffney, Will Hubert, and Joseph Anderson each led the defense in sacks with 1. Deshaun Lee came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Wisconsin listed as a 3.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Wisconsin has looked good in their games this season with their 5-2 record overall and their 3-1 conference record which has them in the top half of the Big Ten. They haven't been a great road team either with their 1-1 road record this year. Meanwhile, Iowa has looked good in their games this season with their 5-2 record overall, but their 2-2 conference record has them right in the middle of the Big Ten. Iowa was looking like a playoff team this season with a really good defense and an offense that has actually been competent this season. Their only loss going into last week was a home loss against Ohio State, but now they are coming off a 13-10 loss to Minnesota in their last one. Minnesota was able to beat Iowa at their own game and expose the flaws that they have. Now Iowa is coming back home and they will be looking to bounce back as they can still be a CFP team if they run the table, but they don't have an easy opponent coming in. Wisconsin is coming off a 24-7 win over a ranked USC in their last one and they have been quietly putting together a good season. They also have 2 losses this season, but they lost in their season opener to Notre Dame who is a top 10 team in the nation and their other loss was against UCLA who is the only undefeated team left in the Big Ten. That defense has looked great this season, not giving up many points against some good offenses, and that offense has been coming together too. This is another game that 2 really good defenses are going to be story in and whoever does win this game won't do it by more than a field goal. Look for Wisconsin's defense to keep them right in this game with a chance to win. The best way to place a bet here is on Wisconsin to cover the spread in this game. 

Wisconsin Iowa Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 31, 2026 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Iowa 17 Wisconsin 14.

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Wisconsin Badgers: 1-7 ATS when the total is between 35.5 and 42 points. 13-19 ATS as a road underdog of 7 points or less. 23-33 ATS on the road versus good rushing defenses - allowing 120 rushing yards/game or less. 16-5 UNDER against conference opponents. 14-3 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Iowa Hawkeyes: 12-6 ATS when the total is between 35.5 and 42 points. 14-7 ATS against conference opponents. 12-4 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 23-14 UNDER off an upset loss as a favorite. 37-29 UNDER vs. good defensive teams who give up 17 or less points/game.

Wisconsin Badgers:  D. O'Neil (QB) Out - Lower Body. M. Lane (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Palmer (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed.

Iowa Hawkeyes:  H. Brown (QB) Out - Shoulder. L. Phillips Jr. (RB) Questionable - Ankle.

“The situation is pretty special. Sometimes you've just got to give guys greater opportunities when the game's on the line. He showed us something tonight that we thought maybe he had.” - Luke Fickell after his team’s win against USC in their last game. 

“You give up a blocked punt right off the bat and have four turnovers, it’s unrealistic to think that you’ll win a conference game like that.” - Kirk Ferentz after his team’s loss against Minnesota in their last game. 

WR Hilton Jr., Eugene

WR Brooks Jr., Chris

WR Henry, Tyrell 

TE Harris, Jacob

QB Joseph, Colton

RB Dupree, Darrion

WR Vander Zee, Reece 

WR Diaz, Tony

WR James, Evan

TE Vonnahme, DJ

QB Brown, Hank

RB Moulton, Kamari

Passing: Colton Joseph (1,256)

Rushing: Colton Joseph (365)

Receiving: Tyrell Henry (343)

Touchdowns: Colton Joseph (4)

Passing: Hank Brown (968)

Rushing: Kamari Moulton (541)

Receiving: Tony Diaz (386)

Touchdowns: Xavier Williams (4)

Coaches:

Wisconsin Badgers: Luke Fickell (5th season)

Iowa Hawkeyes: Kirk Ferentz (28th season)