Iowa is vying to curb a tailspin that’s threatening to keep it out of a bowl game.

Neither the Boilermakers nor the Hawkeyes figured there would be so much at stake for a game that means so little in the Big Ten standings.

Purdue (3-6, 0-5) and Iowa (4-5, 2-3) have combined to lose eight straight league games heading into Saturday’s showdown in Iowa City. The Boilers have fallen apart after a 3-1 start that included a narrow loss at national title contender Notre Dame.

The Hawkeyes have dropped their last three games, including a 24-21 defeat at Indiana that gave the Hoosiers their first back-to-back league victories in five years.