There’s more potential scorn than credit at stake for Iowa over the final 2 weeks of the regular season.

The Hawkeyes (8-2, 5-2) remain in the thick of the Big Ten West race with matchups left against losing programs Illinois (4-6, 3-4) and Nebraska (3-7, 1-6). Winning those games won’t vault them up the CFP or AP rankings, in which they currently sit 20th and 18th, respectively. Winning those games won’t guarantee a berth in the league championship game. Winning those game won’t draw much national attention.

There is much more to be lost than to be won before the postseason arrives. Any shot at a trip to Indianapolis goes away with a loss. Any shot at a top-10 final ranking goes away with a loss. Any shot at a New Year’s 6 bowl goes away with a loss.

And make no mistake, these games are not gimmes for the Hawkeyes. The program with the worst offense in the Big Ten can’t afford to take anyone lightly. Plus, Illinois has won 3 of 5 with a couple of major upsets included. And Nebraska — despite not being able to get out of its own way — plays everyone tough.

Iowa needs to put itself on upset alert and take these games seriously. The Hawkeyes’ formula for success has a narrow margin for error, and their chance to play truly meaningful football in December and/or January hinges on them maintaining their steady, methodical march through November. It’s 2 down and 2 to go since calendar pages last flipped.

Let’s take a look at Iowa’s next 2 games, pointing out potential pitfalls and key matchups:

Vs. Illinois, Nov. 20

Already in Bret Bielema’s first year at the helm, the Illini have upset Nebraska, Penn State and Minnesota — the latter 2 over the past 3 games while they were No. 7 and No. 20, respectively. Bielema, the former Wisconsin head man, knows how to play Big Ten football. He severely outcoached James Franklin vs. Penn State, scheming his offense into a 357-yard rushing performance.

The Illini certainly have been fighting for him, holding B1G opponents to 17.6 points per game (3rd best in league play, slightly ahead of Iowa). Every league game save one — a 24-0 loss to Wisconsin — has come down to a single score. Sophomore Chase Brown has emerged at running back, averaging 145.8 yards over the past 5 games while twice topping 200.

Basically, Illinois will come into Iowa City and try to beat the Hawkeyes at their own game.

Alex Padilla, in his second start at quarterback for Iowa, can give his team a huge advantage simply by approximating his 206-yard, 2-TD debut against Minnesota. Illinois’ passing offense, currently led by Brandon Peters, is by far the worst in the league.

At Nebraska, Nov. 26

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Cornhuskers will conclude their eventful 2021 campaign. It’s been another lost season under Scott Frost, and who knows what his team with bring to the finale. One thing’s for sure: the Huskers will have nothing to lose and thus can throw out all the stops.

As has been reported ad nauseum, Nebraska plays everybody tough and generally loses 1-score games (6 of their 7 setbacks, the other being a 9-point loss to Ohio State). Late turnovers have been the Huskers’ bugaboo. If they limit those, prolific QB Adrian Martinez and the B1G’s 2nd-best offense could cause Iowa problems.

With the only B1G offense averaging less than 300 yards per game, Iowa probably can’t afford to get into a scoring war in the battle for the Heroes Trophy.

What does it all mean?

For these games to really matter, Iowa needs someone (either Nebraska or Minnesota) to knock off red-hot Wisconsin (7-3, 5-2), which has won 6 straight. Then, the Hawkeyes will have to do their part.

The Hawkeyes opened as 12.5-point favorites vs. Illinois but are given only a 43 percent chance of winning in Lincoln according to ESPN’s matchup predictor. That, of course, could change in a week’s time. Let’s see, come Saturday, if Iowa can completely regain the form that had it at No. 2 in the nation not so long ago.