Kirk Ferentz was never going full Luke Fickell at Iowa's most important position

While there are no guarantees he will play every snap on offense on Saturday night, one thing is for sure when it comes to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Starting quarterback Mark Gronowski will be available for their Week 7 road matchup at the Wisconsin Badgers. He got banged up in Week 5's tough loss to Indiana, giving way to Auburn transfer Hank Brown. Kirk Ferentz said that he could play this weekend.

That being said, Gronowski not being listed on the injury report for the Hawkeyes leads everyone to believe he will start and he will play. If he does not play well, or looks like a shell of himself physically, Ferentz can always call on Brown to back him up, or potentially see what Jeremy Hecklinski can do vs. this Badgers defense. No, Ferentz was never going to go full-blown Luke Fickell with his quarterback.

With Billy Edwards Jr. out again, look for Fickell to start Hunter Simmons in his place, or Danny O'Neil.

Here is Gronowski warming up in a noticeable knee brace, but he does seem to be moving just fine.

Again, he does not have to play the whole time, but he gives Iowa a huge quarterbacking advantage.

Mark Gronowski can do for Iowa what no Wisconsin QB can match

This is the big key here. In a game that will largely be defined by ball control, defense and special teams, Gronowski has the potential to make a few explosive plays with his arm and legs that nobody on the Badgers can replicate. If Edwards were healthy, he might be able to make a few throws to keep this a fair fight. O'Neil is more of a runner than a thrower. Simmons is safe but an unknown commodity.

Right now, Iowa having the decided advantage at quarterback could potentially put this game out of reach for the Badgers sooner rather than later. Again, this team might be 3-2 on the season, but the Hawkeyes' only two losses were by a combined eight points. This could be closer to a 4-1 team than a 3-2 team. Then again, you are what your record says you are. For Wisconsin, this is a 2-3 team...

To tie a bow on this, Ferentz has had staying power at Iowa for a multitude of reasons, whereas Fickell feels like he will be out of his job before the calendar flips. One of the reasons for this is Ferentz approaches his offensive philosophies with logic, no matter how antiquated they might be. Iowa may have a limited offense, but he is not making it up as he goes long. That is what Fickell loves to do here.

Wisconsin can still win its first conference game of the season tonight, but this is their best shot at it.