The first thing that most people think of when they hear rivalry in terms of Wisconsin football is Minnesota, but the Wisconsin-Iowa rivalry could be the better of the two. Iowa and Wisconsin have a lot in common when you take a quick look at both teams. In terms of offense they pride themselves on having a strong offensive line, and a balanced attack. On the defensive side of the ball it's tought and physical with a bend but dont' break philosophy. For these two teams it's like looking in the mirror, and that's not the end of it.
The first connection between the two teams starts with Barry Alvarez. Before coming to Madison in 1990 Alvarez was a member of the Iowa coaching staff under Hayden Fry. When Alvarez came to Wisconsin he brought with him a lot of the philosophies that had been preached under Fry when he was in Iowa City.
Years later Alvarez would bring in another former Iowa coach, and player in Bret Bielema to be his defensive coordinator. When Bielema was a player at Iowa he played one season under coach Alvarez at Iowa. In 1993 Bielema would be come a coach at Iowa; oddly enough the first season Wisconsin would win a Rose Bowl under Barry Alvarez.
While the connections between Bielema and Iowa are obviously very deep from his time as a Hawkeye, there is one that is still with him everyday...his tattoo. There has been a lot made of the tattoo of the Hawkeye logo on the back of Bielema's right calf. A tattoo that many Badger fans have asked if Bielema would remove.
The tattoo has remained but the further connections between Iowa and the Wisconsin Badgers have continued as well. On the "Bret Bielema Show" hosted by Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas Bielema told a story about Wisconsin's very own pink lockerooom....that was never really used.
It at times seems like a ghost story at Iowa; the story of the pink lockerroom, but this ghost story is true. On his radio show Bielema told the stories of what it's like being in the pink lockerroom that was installed by Hayden Fry. What was even more shocking is that when Camp Randall was renovated Barry Alvarez, still head coach at the time, supposedly put in a pink lockerrom for the visitors. Bielema advised Alvarez to not go ahead with the plan; so Wisconsin settled for baby blue.
The rivalry between the two and the connectsions over the years have only made the rivalry stronger, and the addition of a trophy has made the rivalry even better. In 2004 the Hawkeyes and Badgers played for the Heartland Trophy for the first time. Iowa won the first two matchups. Then Wisconsin won the following two...Iowa followed that up with the last two.
Despite the two game advantage for the Hawkeyes in the battle for the bull they only lead the overall series by just one game. Over the 85 times the border rivals have faced eachother the Hawkeyes have won 42, and the Badgers have won 41. Add in two ties, and you have a very competitive series. Even more competitive than the "Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe."
The longterm history, and the recent history between these two schools have made the rivalry between Iowa and Wisconsin one of the best in the country. So what do you get when you add a bull, a tattoo, and pink lockerrooms....one wierd rivalry.
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