If you’re looking for Friday night fireworks in the Big Ten, the Iowa-Rutgers game has it all. With a perfect 3-0 record going into Week 4, the Scarlet Knights are coming off a 60-10 dominant win against Norfolk State. Athan Kaliakmanis, the quarterback, has completed 72.9% of his passes for 820 yards and seven touchdowns so far without being intercepted, making him almost flawless. Greg Schiano’s team appears much more dangerous than the Rutgers teams Big Ten fans are used to.

However, the Iowa squad is efficient at making opponents’ lives miserable when they get in their way. The Hawkeyes’ defense is among the best in the country, even though quarterback Mark Gronowski only has 306 passing yards and three touchdowns this season. Iowa has only allowed 34 points overall and just 178 yards per game through three weeks, keeping both Albany and UMass to one touchdown each. The Hawkeyes still held the Cyclones to less than 300 total yards, and their only slip-up occurred in a close 16–13 loss to Iowa State.

FOX is giving the Iowa vs. Rutgers Big Ten game the big-stage attention it deserves, so fans won’t just be glued to the field on Friday night. Mark Helfrich and Connor Onion will be in the booth calling the game from SHI Stadium, while Jennifer Hale will be working the sidelines. That trio makes for an entertaining broadcast team on a game that already feels like it has a lot riding on it because they combine their coaching prowess, big-event experience, and new energy.

Onion is a rising star at FOX and the Big Ten Network. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because he has done a lot of different things already, such as calling MLB games with Ken Rosenthal and AJ Pierzynski and hosting Nebraska’s volleyball match, which set a world record with 92,000 spectators. He has also witnessed many Big Ten baseball and basketball championships up close. Helfrich, who coached Oregon to a national championship game and then called plays for the Chicago Bears, will be next to him in the booth. He has experience managing an offense. He brings the “coach’s eyes” to every broadcast.

Next up is Jennifer Hale, a seasoned sideline reporter who has worked for FOX Sports for more than ten years. After overcoming cardiomyopathy herself, she advocates for heart health awareness while covering everything from NFL Sundays to the NBA playoffs to even the Westminster Dog Show.

Hale is renowned for her insightful comments and ability to provide viewers with an inside look at the huddle. When you combine all of this, this trio has a perfect blend of new energy, football expertise, and narrative skills to match what should be a challenging Big Ten matchup.

Rutgers is riding high, but Iowa has owned the series

Rutgers fans are feeling pretty good right now, but history says Iowa has them beat. In their 4-0 record against the Scarlet Knights, the Hawkeyes have done so easily, outscoring them 93–17 and recording two shutouts, including a 22-0 sweep in their most recent meeting. Kirk Ferentz and his team are confident going into their first real road test because of that kind of dominance. Also, Iowa’s crushing defeat to Iowa State in Week 2 may have served as the perfect wake-up call for them prior to Big Ten play.

That’s not to say Rutgers is going in blind. With a top-five national ranking and the fewest three-and-outs in the FBS, Greg Schiano’s team has subtly developed one of the best time-of-possession games in the nation. In three games, the Scarlet Knights have piled up 88 first downs, Antwan Raymond is consuming almost six yards per carry, and Athan Kaliakmanis has yet to throw a pick. The flip side? Those numbers came against Ohio, Miami (OH), and Norfolk State, which are not exactly Iowa’s defense.

The key is that Rutgers relies on its balanced offense, Iowa relies on its stifling defense, and one has to give in at SHI Stadium. Both fan bases are aware that this early-season outcome could influence the rest of the season, the spread is narrow, and ESPN Analytics actually favors Rutgers. Ferentz will have another opportunity to show off his time-tested formula if Gronowski remains clean and Iowa’s ground game picks up the pace. But if Rutgers continues to move things along as they have, don’t be shocked if the Knights eventually break through and alter the course of this emerging Big Ten series.