The only way Iowa wins the west is if they beat the Gophers, Illinois and Nebraska, plus the Gophers lose to Northwestern and Wisconsin plus Wisconsin loses to Nebraska and Purdue. Iowa could be eliminated by the kickoff time. If Wisconsin beats Nebraska in the early game, Iowa is eliminated. That's going to take some wind out of their sails. With a Wisconsin win, there could be a 3-way tie, but Wisconsin would win the tiebreaker, having beaten both Iowa and Minnesota.
On the other hand, if Wisconsin loses to Nebraska, Iowa is virtually eliminated, as even if they beat the Gophers, still have to hope that Northwestern beats the Gophers, Purdue beats Wisconsin and Wisconsin beats the Gophers. So it's quite a spin to claim that having been eliminated (or virtually eliminated) right at kickoff is going to help motivate them.