EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -The road has been rewarding for No. 7 Iowa on its midseason journey to first place in the Big Ten.

The Hawkeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) remain unbeaten in large part because they've been at their best away from Iowa City. They've won at Penn State and Wisconsin and will remain alone atop the conference if they win Saturday at Michigan State (4-3, 3-1), which has Big Ten title hopes of its own.

Iowa has taken pride in performing well on the road. At then-No. 5 Penn State, the Hawkeyes overcame a 10-point deficit with defense and special teams to claim a 21-10 victory in a driving rain. At Wisconsin, Iowa trailed by a touchdown at halftime before rallying for a 20-10 win.

``We have a lot of guys who are older and have been in those types of games before,'' Iowa defensive end Broderick Binns said. ``We know each game takes 60 minutes. You can't just go out there and play one half good. We feel like once we get down in the first half, we still have a second half to do better, come back and win the game.''

Iowa has reached its highest spot in the Top 25 since 2002 and is sixth in the BCS standings. The Hawkeyes have an 11-game winning streak dating to last season, second-longest in the nation behind top-ranked Florida.

``Iowa is obviously playing as good as anyone in the country right now,'' Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins said. ``If we want to be on that level, we have to play on that level this Saturday.''

Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State each have one conference loss and are chasing the Hawkeyes.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said preparing for road games in some ways can be less challenging because they come with lighter schedules and fewer off-the-field commitments than being at home.

``So this is kind of a quieter week, if you will,'' Ferentz said. ``You don't have a lot of visitors. Don't have a lot of distractions, and hopefully we'll have a good week of preparation. We certainly have that extra time during the course of the week to get ready mentally for the game.''

Iowa has won its four home games by a total of 16 points. Three of those victories - over Northern Iowa, Arkansas State and Michigan - came by a field goal or less.

The Hawkeyes crushed Iowa State 35-3 in their first road game and have been thriving on the road ever since.

Iowa hasn't won pretty. But the Hawkeyes excel in key areas that are crucial to winning games.

The Hawkeyes have committed the fewest penalties in the Big Ten. They also have the best turnover margin with 11 more takeaways than giveaways this season.

Iowa's defense has been solid, allowing just 15 points per game. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi has completed 59 percent of his passes and may have been at his best in last week's second-half comeback at Wisconsin, when he completed 11 of 13 attempts for 162 yards.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said the Hawkeyes have proven they're resilient. But the Spartans have shown some backbone of their own, rebounding from three September losses to win three straight in October and remain in the hunt for the Big Ten title.

``I think we're getting good leadership,'' Dantonio said. ``I think our players buy into what everybody is doing, whether it's the coaches, the coaches buy into the players. There's good chemistry on the football team right now.''

The Spartans, led by Cousins and receiver Blair White, have the Big Ten's most productive passing attack at 280 yards per game. Michigan State's defense has allowed an average of 16 points per game in consecutive victories over Michigan, Illinois and Northwestern.

Michigan State edged Iowa last season in East Lansing, 16-13. Iowa has lost four straight in Spartan Stadium.

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AP Sports Writer Luke Meredith contributed to this report from Iowa City, Iowa.