BY MATT LEPAY
Voice of the Badgers

MADISON, Wis. — It is all about road-field advantage. You are reading it correctly. Not home-field, but road-field advantage.

Last week in the Big Ten, the visiting teams ran the table. They went 6-0, and only two of the games were close. In addition to the Badgers' gut-punch setback to Ohio State, Indiana took Nebraska to the limit before falling to the Huskers 27-22.

Coaches will tell you it is hard to win — period, but winning on the road is special. What happened last week is rather amazing.

Then again, road-field advantage has been a storyline in the Wisconsin-Iowa series. In the last five years, the home team has gone down to defeat. Last fall, the Hawkeyes came to Madison and held off the Badgers, 10-6. The previous three meetings were in Iowa City, and all three times the bus ride home to Madison was a happy trip. In 2009, the Hawkeyes started this current streak with a 20-10 victory at Camp Randall.

What does that mean this week? Absolutely nothing, but it is an interesting trend. We are talking about two stadiums known for their noise levels. The 2010 game really stands out. It was one week after the Badgers defeated top-ranked Ohio State. The team had to regroup in a hurry, knowing a monster road test was next. The game was a classic, featuring a critical fake punt, followed by a late fourth-quarter touchdown from Montee Ball to give Wisconsin a thrilling 31-30 win.

Kinnick Stadium was rocking — until the Badgers stunned the crowd with the clutch drive late in the game.

While that brief history lesson has zilch to do with what happens this Saturday, it might speak to the competitive nature of the Big Ten Conference. In addition to physical talent, one would like to believe it takes some serious resolve to go into a rival's house and ruin the day for a crowd that doesn't like you very much.

In the case of the Badgers and the Hawkeyes, it is part of what makes the series so entertaining. These programs appear to be built much the same way. Tough, hard-nosed young men who are well-schooled in the game's fundamentals. Each has a rich history of walk-ons-turned-standout players.

It is all of that, and it is safe to say both teams are led by highly-respected and well-liked coaches in Paul Chryst and Kirk Ferentz.

There is no hammer versus a nail in this series. On Saturday morning, the programs will be meeting for the 90th time. Through the first 89 matchups, Wisconsin has won 44 times. Iowa has won 43 times. Two games ended in ties.

The task for the Badgers is to move on after coming up just short against Ohio State. Even if the ending would have been better, moving on quickly would have been the theme.

Minutes after last Saturday's game, linebacker Jack Cichy was talking about bringing the bull back to Madison. For the uninformed, he is referring to the Heartland Trophy, a fairly new but valuable prize that goes to the winner of this game. Right now, Iowa has it. The Badgers hope to take some hardware back to Madison Saturday afternoon.

It would be a terrific start to the second half of the regular season. It is a season that still has every chance to be special. So bring on the bus ride.