Weekly Musings...

The UW Athletic Dept. denied any connection to the proposition to play UNLV at Lambeau next year. Vince Sweeney attributed it to a 3rd party.

'"Contrary to published reports, at no time has the UW Athletic Department had conversations with UNLV officials regarding moving our 2007 game to Lambeau Field. . . . We have confirmed that UNLV officials were approached by a third party about moving our game, but that contact was done without our knowledge and without our involvement," the school said in a statement. "We can assure you that we will be playing that game in Las Vegas as scheduled."'

Huh?

The reports on Stocco's status for tomorrow are all over the place. He apparently practiced yesterday and threw the last pass of the day, a weekly ritual, to an OL. Bielema contends this will be a gameday decision. Unless this was his only activity of the day, I can't imagine him not playing as the coaches would not risk his health for the balance of the season unless they intended to start him Saturday.

Time for this week's prediction. Regardless of Stocco's status, this is a low-scoring affair. UW's defense proved its meddle the last six quarters, and Iowa's performances against the Badgers during the Ferentz era cement this fact. Drew Tate played poorly last week against an inferior NW defense, so I can't see him improving much against Bucky's more formidable front. Iowa is always well-coached on both sides of the ball, including special teams, so the mistakes of the past couple of weeks cannot be replicated on the road! The running game is key in any defensive battle, and with Stocco's health in question, PJ Hill shoulders a larger burden. He'll find holes against the Hawkeyes. Should UW clamp down on Iowa's RBs, Bucky prevails in a 16-10 contest.