The 12th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes play the 3rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday on FOX. The Hawkeyes are looking to not only win the Big Ten title, but also play spoiler, as the Wolverines will make it into the College Football Playoff with a win. Iowa comes into this game at 10-2, while Michigan is 11-1. Iowa has held their own in this series, winning five of the last ten meetings. The teams met just over two years ago and it was Michigan coming away with a low scoring 10-3 victory. Let’s look at Iowa vs. Michigan and Big Ten Championship picks.
Week Fourteen college football action features the 12th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes playing the 3rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Championship Game. This game takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday, December 4, 2021. The game will be broadcast live on FOX at 8:00 p.m. ET. We’ll have college football odds available at Bookmaker.eu for this and every game this season.
College Football Betting at BookMaker.eu
Iowa Hawkeyes +10.5
Michigan Wolverines -10.5
Total 43.5
Odds Analysis
There has not been a lot of line movement on this game, as the number opened at 10.5 and is still there. The total opened at 44 and has been bet down slight to the current number of 43.5.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa is 10-2 SU and 7-5 ATS with five games going over the total and seven going under. Iowa is averaging just 25.7 points and 299.3 yards per contest. They have been very stout on defense, allowing just 17.3 points per game, 10th-best in the country. They are giving up 315.8 yards per contest. Tyler Goodson leads the team with six touchdowns and 1,101 yards. Spencer Petras has thrown for 1,532 yards and Sam Laporta has 486 receiving yards. Joe Evans leads the team with six sacks, while Dane Belton leads the team with five interceptions.
Iowa knows that they will need their defense to step up in a big way on Saturday against a Michigan team that leads the Big Ten in rushing. “It all starts up front,” Iowa middle linebacker Jack Campbell said to the media, “The offensive line, they’re big, athletic dudes. That’ll be a challenge in itself. Then you look back and you have two or three outstanding running backs. They know to hit the seams and hit them hard. They’re all explosive runners.” Campbell led the Hawkeyes in tackles this season with 124 and Iowa held opponents to 105.8 yards rushing per game this season.
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan is 11-1 SU and 10-2 ATS with six games going over the total and six going under. Michigan is averaging 37.3 points per game which is 13th-best in the country. They are averaging 451.2 yards per contest. Michigan is giving up 17.2 points per game, 8th-best in the country and they are giving up 318.8 yards per game. Hassan Haskins leads the team with 18 touchdowns and 1,232 yards. Cade McNamara has thrown for 2,301 yards, while Cornelius Johnson has 594 receiving yards. Aidan Hutchinson leads the team with 13 sacks, while Daxton Hill leads the team with two interceptions.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has a lot of respect for Iowa. “It’s a finely tuned organization that knows what they’re doing,” Harbaugh said to the media, “I’m a big fan of the back (Tyler Goodson). Really like the quarterback (Petras). The linebacker (Jack Campbell). They’ve got really good players.”
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Michigan Wolverines Prediction
The obvious question in this game is how much the letdown will affect Michigan. The Michigan players and coaches can say whatever they want, but there will be a letdown after their win over Ohio State. The question is whether it will matter. Iowa doesn’t have much of an offense, so their only chance is to run the ball and play defense. I think that is what their strategy will be. Whether it is enough to win the game is the question. It should, however, result in a low scoring game so I will take the game under the total.
BookMaker Pick: Under 43.5
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