It looks bleak.

Northwestern rolls into Iowa City having dropped three of four to open the season and struggling to find any kind of rhythm offensively or defensively. The Hawkeyes (3-1) haven’t looked like their 2015 selves this year either though as losses to FCS foes have tainted the resumes of both teams.

Nebraska squashed any hope of a Wildcats resurgence — at least for the time being -- with a 24-13 win in Evanston last Saturday as Iowa was eking out a 14-7 win over Rutgers. Basically, don’t expect to see sixty minutes of beautiful football this weekend. But it’s a divisional game and both sides are desperate for a win so we’ll see what happens.

A few notes before you’re truly ready to watch:

• Pat Fitzgerald indicated after the Nebraska game that it may be time to move on from Jack Mitchell (1-for-4 on field goals this season) and it’s reflected in this week’s depth chart.
• A disappointed Pat Fitzgerald and players spoke to the media Monday.
• Martin Oppegaard wrote a feature on Austin Carr, also known as the dude with the most receiving yards in the Big Ten.
• We hit the film room to examine Northwestern’s persistent struggles defensively and Iowa’s star running back, LeShun Daniels Jr. If everything follows the latest trends, the Wildcats may be in trouble.
• Is it time for shake-ups along Pat Fitzgerald’s coaching staff? Probably.
• Winter is coming, per the Northwestern Football twitter account. The Wildcats will rock all-white uniforms Saturday.
• We went ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ with Black Heart Gold Pants, Iowa’s SB Nation site, to talk Saturday’s matchup.
• We made our picks (with many of us leaning heavily in one direction).
• And finally, Josh Burton and Tristan Jung previewed the game on Pound the Talk. Give it a listen.

Broadcast Info

Game time: 11 a.m. C.T.

TV channel: ESPNU

Online stream: espn3.com

Mobile: Watch ESPN

Radio: WGN 720 AM, WNUR 89.3 FM, Sirius Internet XM 957 (Home), Sirius Internet XM 965 (Away)

Betting line: Iowa -13.5