Gophers-Hawkeyes preview: Both teams fighting for leg up in Big Ten West

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Battle for Floyd of Rosedale, Senior Night, and the final home game are all rolled into one.

However, the most important aspect of Saturday's game between the University of Minnesota and Iowa: the chance to get a leg up in the Big Ten West division.

There are four teams atop the standings in the Big Ten West, all with 4-3 conference records; that includes Minnesota and Iowa.

"When you look at Big Ten football, this is what it's all about," said Gophers senior linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin. "It's gonna be 20 degrees. There's gonna be snow on the ground. And when you look at these two teams we're very similar in the aspect where we're gonna run the ball and we play stout defense."

Two similar teams. Iowa is ranked third in the country in yards allowed.

"Violent with their hands, with their disengage, and how they get off blocks," said Gophers senior offensive lineman John Michael Schmitz. "They play sound football and they don't beat themselves."

"They're in the right place at the right time, all the time. It's a credit to what they do and what they've done for a long time," said Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck. "You know where they're gonna be. You know what they're gonna run. They just do it better than everybody else."

Not to be outdone, the Gophers defense sits eighth in the country.

"There's not a million things going on, but enough to keep you off balance," said Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz. "And from my vantage point it looks like their players really understand what they're being asked to do. And consequently they play fast."

Each team has weathered bad stretches, to still have a shot to play in the Big Ten title game.

"If you don't start fast you never know where the game might go," said Gophers senior defensive back Jordan Howden. "So to be able to go out there and start fast, surge in the middle and finish strong. That will be the difference in the game."

Minnesota has not beaten Iowa since 2014. P.J. Fleck is 0-6 against the Hawkeyes as a head coach.

"Our players know how important this game is. Iowa's players know how important this game is. That's a rivalry," said Fleck. "That's what it's all about."