Nick Saban gives Wisconsin Badgers extra motivation to upset Iowa in Week 10 – Badger of Honor

As the Wisconsin Badgers prepare to face the Iowa Hawkeyes, not many people are giving Luke Fickell and Co. high chance of posting a disappointment. Yes, many people think running back Caleb Johnson will have his way against Wisconsin’s defense.

But don’t tell that to legendary football coach Nick Saban. The future Hall of Famer is now getting work for ESPN on College GameDay, and he was the only one who showed faith in the Badgers for this one. That’s right, the College GameDay panel made its picks, and Saban was literally the only one rocking Wisconsin:

That’s a lot of Hawkeyes logos we see in this graphic. Indeed, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Keegan-Michael Key, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit all picked Iowa to score a Week 10 win over the Badgers.

Saban isn’t interested in everyone else going in that direction, though, as he’s sticking to his guns with Wisconsin. We can only hope word of this has reached the Badgers locker room, as no one other than Saban believes they’ll post a win with The Heartland Trophy on the line.

It won’t be easy, and there are certainly concerns about trying to keep Johnson, who was one of the top running backs in the country this year. However, with Iowa starting backup signal caller Brendan Sullivan, the hope is that Wisconsin will be able to limit the Iowa passing attack from taking off.

There will also be pressure on quarterback Bradin Locke, who steps up his game while taking care of the football. Locke has thrown an interception in five straight games. In order for Wisconsin to have a chance to win, it will have to be up to par. Whether or not that will happen is unknown, but regardless, Saban has confidence in Fickell’s team to get the job done.