FWIW, part of the speculation has likely been fueled by the fact that Beathard had ice cellophaned (not sure that is a real word) to his hip and groin after the Illinois game and commented that "he was pretty beat up" and "needed treatment."
Also, the moderators are immediately removing any and all posts about a potential injury.
If Beathard is out, Nortwestern becomes the clear favorite.
If Beathard plays, I see this game boiling down to which team better defends the pass. I think both teams will struggle rushing the ball. Iowa's corners are good. King is really good. Mabin is good but inconsistent. What they can do, unlike previous Iowa teams, is guard WRs immediately instead of offering a soft cushion. Fitzgerald's past teams have exploited that weakness with massive amounts of success. I'll be curious to see how Iowa's D approaches the situation. As for Iowa's passing game, I expect Northwestern to apply heavy pressure and force quick passes. Iowa's OL has serious injury issues and I expect Fitzgerald to smell blood and bring a lot of pressure. I'm not confident that Iowa's receivers will get the necessary separation fast enough.
I agree with those on here predicting a low score.
That written, I expected a low score out of the Northwestern/Michigan game as well. You never know what might happen when you have 18-22 year old kids involved.