Fun Facts about Wisconsin vs. Iowa: It’s total bull. The Heartland Trophy the winner gets, that is.

People, you’ve gotta have fun. But you also have to face facts. So let’s save time and combine the two. Badgers, Hawkeyes … Fun Facts!

1. Iowa is playing for its 700th win in program history. And bowl eligibility.

2. The winner gets the Heartland Trophy, a brass bull that weighs 72 pounds. Adult bulls weigh considerably more.

3. Wisconsin lost its last two games at Iowa by 21 and 14 points.

4. The Badgers had 95 more yards and nine more first downs against Iowa last year in Madison, yet lost 15-6.

5. The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in rushing with 209 yards per game. They haven’t finished a season leading the league in that category since 1997.

6. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson has 20 rushes of 20 or more yards. No one else in the nation has more than 14. He has touchdowns in eight straight games, the longest such streak by a Hawkeye in the Kirk Ferentz era.

7. Luke Fickell was 53-10 over his last five seasons as Cincinnati’s coach. He is 13-9 at Wisconsin.

8. The Hawkeyes have won 18 of their last 19 November games.

9. Wisconsin’s current streak of 22 straight winning seasons is second in the FBS to Boise State’s 26.

10. Iowa is the only team in the nation to allow two punt returns for touchdowns this season.

11. Kaden Wetjen of Iowa has three straight games of 100-plus return yards. The last Big Ten player to do so was Maryland’s Javon Leake in 2019.

14. The Hawkeyes are 11-5-1 on NBC.

15. Iowa’s three games of 40-plus points are its most since 2017.

16. Tight ends Jake Ferguson of Wisconsin and George Kittle of Iowa had six catches apiece in Sunday night’s Dallas-San Francisco NFL game. Kittle was the one of the two who had a touchdown.

17. The Hawkeyes have scored 167 of their 236 points after halftime.

18. The “over” has cashed in seven of Iowa’s eight games. Last year, the “over” paid off just twice in 14 games.

19. In 1939 against Wisconsin, Iowa’s Nile Kinnick passed for 125 yards and three touchdowns, intercepted three passes, returned a kickoff 58 yards, drop-kicked an extra point, and played every play. (Hat tip: @HawksChronicles)

20. Bucky Badger has 46,700 followers on X, better known as Twitter. Herky the Hawk has 14,000 followers.

21. According to the official Social Security website, “Madison” was the 36th-most popular name given to girls born in the U.S. in 2023. It ranked second in 2001.

22. Wisconsin is a swing state. Iowa apparently takes its marital vows more seriously.

Comments: mike.hlas@thegazette.com