Wisconsin's Iowa shutout puts offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes under scrutiny

Wisconsin's 30-0 loss at Iowa has turned the spotlight onto offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. In a column carried by Yahoo Sports, Badgers Wire argued that the program may have little choice but to replace him. The same outlet had already asked whether head coach Luke Fickell is back on the hot seat after the loss.

The numbers behind that argument are hard to dispute. Badgers Wire reports that Wisconsin ranks 126th nationally at 305.7 yards per game in Grimes' second season since arriving from Kansas. At Kinnick Stadium the Badgers gained 235 yards: 183 passing and 52 rushing. Starting quarterback Colton Joseph was benched late in the third quarter, and backup Ryan Hopkins threw for 93 of those passing yards. Against power-conference opponents, Wisconsin's highest point total this season is 31, in a win over a rebuilding Michigan State team.

The Badgers' results show the same thing. At 5-3, Wisconsin has won with defense. It allowed 17.1 points a game across eight games, held No. 16 USC to seven points in a 24-7 win and beat No. 13 Penn State 24-20 on the road. Take out the nonconference wins over Eastern Michigan and Western Illinois, and the offense has scored 99 points in six games against Notre Dame and Big Ten teams, or 16.5 a game. It managed a single touchdown at No. 12 UCLA, 13 points against No. 4 Notre Dame and nothing at Iowa. Wisconsin is 3-2 in the Big Ten. Unless the offense improves, its margin for error is small.

No staff change has been reported. Whether Fickell acts during the season or waits until the offseason, every offensive series over the final four weeks will add to the case for or against Grimes.

What it means for Rutgers

Wisconsin hosts Rutgers on Saturday, November 7, on BTN. The Badgers have to answer two questions in that game: who plays quarterback after Joseph was pulled at Iowa, and whether the offense can put together drives against a team outside the Big Ten's upper tier. The defense has held five of eight opponents to 10 points or fewer, so the home side has a dependable starting point.

The market expects that defense to control the game. Wisconsin is a heavy favorite across the 12 venues on this site's board. Novig lists the Badgers at -770 on the moneyline and Rutgers at +700. The best Rutgers price anywhere is +750 at theScore Bet. On the spread, Novig has Wisconsin favored by 17.5 at +102. FanDuel's -16.5 at -110 is the best Wisconsin number available, so the venues differ by about a point on the line. The total is 46.5 at Novig, with the over at -100 and the under at -111. FanDuel lists 45.5, and theScore Bet has the best under price at -110 on 46.5. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.3% to 6.0% on the moneyline and up to 7.0% on the spread.

Those prices are a lot to ask of an offense that was shut out last Saturday and has topped 24 points only once against a power-conference opponent. A total in the mid-40s points to a low-scoring game, which fits how Wisconsin has won. Covering more than two touchdowns would take the kind of offensive output that has led to the calls for a change at coordinator.