Just a couple weeks ago, Iowa was thinking that it had a shot at the Big Ten West title. But after two heartbreaking losses, the Hawkeyes are reduced to playing the spoiler role as Northwestern looks to take another step toward the division crown.

Iowa features the No. 2 defense in the Big Ten and still has a better overall record than the Wildcats at 6-3, which is why Las Vegas has made them a 10-point favorite on Saturday -- even if head coach Pat Fitzgerald is 4-2 in Iowa City during his career.

Will the Hawkeyes make the road to the West bumpier for NU? We went one-on-one with HawkeyeReport publisher Tom Kakert to get the inside scoop. Here is our Q&A.

Q. Iowa has lost two straight close games in the fourth quarter and its division title hopes are just about dead. What is this team’s mood coming into the game? How important is this game to them?