The 120th edition of the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry between No. 15 Iowa and Minnesota kicks off in just two days. 

We've been busy previewing this matchup all week long on HawkeyeRoundtable.com, but now that it's Thursday, it's time to begin our lead-up to prediction Friday. 

Here are three reasons why the Hawkeyes will beat Minnesota - and three reasons they won't 

Run game ignites again: Iowa's run game was spectacular against Washington, and though Jeremy Hecklinski was on point that night, having a 263-yard performance from the rushing attack certainly helps fuel a good passing game. The Hawkeyes are more than capable of winning this game with Hecklinski's arm, but as we've said before on here, Minnesota's run defense hasn't been particularly good this year. The Gophers allowed 305 yards to an average Purdue team two weeks ago, and while Minnnesota will have home field advantage on Saturday, Iowa is poised to take advantage of those struggles. 

Defense makes Drake Lindsey uncomfortable: Believe it or not, Iowa's defense has forced just five takeaways by the midway point of the season. It's probably been ages since the Hawkeyes haven't boasted a defense known for taking the football away, but that hasn't mattered at all because Iowa is still winning games. 

While the Hawkeyes have faced a lot of mobile quarterbacks this year - Iowa State's Jaylen Raynor, Michigan's Bryce Underwood, and Washington's Demond Williams - that isn't going to be the case on Saturday. Though he has a strong arm, Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey isn't known for mobility. That means Iowa has a good chance to rattle him early on if it can get pressure, but how will it do that? The defensive line hasn't generated many sacks, so Phil Parker may need to resort to linebacker blitzes on Saturday.

Hecklinski avoids mistakes: Hecklinski earned the starting job because Kirk Ferentz and Tim Lester obviously trust him to run this offense more efficiently than Hank Brown did, but if there's one thing Hecklinski can't do in this one, it's make a big mistake. Iowa has the better team in this matchup and the last thing you want to do is commit a crucial error to flip this game upside down. 

Young secondary struggles: The numbers may not entirely show it, but Iowa's secondary has had a tendency to allow explosive plays this year. Underwood had arguably the best game of his career against the Hawkeyes before getting benched two games later, while Ohio State's Julian Sayin connected with star wideout Jeremiah Smith 11 times for 206 yards. Washington backup quarterback Elijah Brown also got whatever he wanted once Williams left the game, too. 

What is the point I'm trying to make here? Iowa still has a very young secondary, especially at safety. Zach Lutmer has held the fort down at free safety, but a rotating cast of injuries has led to inconsistency at strong safety. Xavier Styles is currently listed in this spot and did play well at Washington, but the bottom line here is that Minnesota is likely going to heavily rely on its passing attack to score points. This young secondary will be put to the test because of that. 

Iowa has to rely too much on the passing game: The Hawkeyes don't have any doubt that Hecklinski can deliver through the air, but if Iowa's ground game goes back to being below-average, then that's a problem for a variety of reasons. The Hawkeyes certainly have the playmakers to win this game exclusively through the air if they have to, but Minnesota does have one of the best statistical pass defenses in the Big Ten, so that is something to monitor in the event Iowa can't run the ball. A balanced attack will make the Hawkeyes very tough to beat. 

Minnesota gets its own run game going: Minnesota's run game hasn't been much of a discussion point this year and that's because it ranks 17th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. That's far from the standard that P.J. Fleck wants to set in Minneapolis, and you can't help but notice that he's tried to beat Iowa at its own game (and failed) every season. Maybe his game plan will be different on Saturday, but Minnesota is always a run-first team. Iowa's defense has been excellent at stopping the run this year, but they're going to have to do it again on the road. If the Gophers have even an average day on the ground that could be very dangerous for Iowa because of their passing attack. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]