Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2) vs Michigan Wolverines (11-1)
Game Info: Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 8:00 pm (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Betting Odds: Iowa Hawkeyes +11 -- Over/Under: 43.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The 2nd ranked Michigan Wolverines & 13th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes will square off at Lucas Oil Stadium this Saturday night in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The 2nd ranked Michigan Wolverines finished their regular season with an 11- 1 record and earned a trip to the Big Ten Championship after finishing the Big Ten East Division with an 8-1 conference record. Michigan was strong on the road this season, picking up wins at Wisconsin, Nebraska, & Penn State, however, the biggest win of their season was last week when the Wolverines defeated the Ohio Sate Buckeyes by a 42-27 last week.
On the season, Michigan is averaging 37.3 ppg on 451.2 total yards per game (226.3 passing yds/g; 224.9 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Michigan has been led by led by the backfield duo of Hassan Haskins (244 att, 1232 yards, 18 TD) & Blake Corum (136 att, 865 yards, 10 TD). QB Cade McNamara has completed 64.4% of his passes for 2301 yards, 14 TD, & 3 INT. The top receiving threats for the Wolverines have been Cornelius Johnson (36 rec, 587 yards, 3 TD), Erick All (32 rec, 331 yards, TD), Mike Sainristil (20 rec, 301 yards, 2 TD), Roman Wilson (22 rec, 296 yards, 2 TD), & Daylen Baldwin (16 rec, 250 yards, 2 TD).
Defensively, Michigan is holding their opponents to an average of 17.2 ppg on 319.3 total yards per game (196.3 passing yds/g; 123.0 rushing yds/g).
The 13th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes finished their regular season with an overall record of 10-2 and earned a trip to the Big Ten Championship after finishing with a 7-2 conference record in the Big Ten West Division. Iowa started the season strong, picking up solid wins against Iowa State & Penn State, and although they did drop back-to-back games to Purdue & Wisconsin, Iowa finished the season strong with 4 straight wins, including a 28-21 victory over Nebraska last week.
On the season, Iowa is averaging 25.7 ppg on 299.1 total yards per game (177.9 passing yds/g; 121.2 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Iowa has been led by RB Tyler Goodson who had 1101 rushing yards & 6 TD on 238 carries while hauling in 25 receptions for 219 yards & 1 TD. QB Spencer Petras has completed 58.1% of his passes for 1532 yards, 9 TD, & 6 INT. The top receiving threats for the Hawkeyes have been Sam LaPorta (40 rec, 486 yards, 2 TD), Keagan Johnson (17 rec, 339 yards, 2 TD), Nico Ragaini (26 rec, 331 yards, TD), & Charlie Jones (19 rec, 282 yards, 3 TD).
Defensively, Iowa is holding their opponents to an average of 17.3 ppg on 315.8 total yards per game (210.0 passing yds/g; 105.8 rushing yds/g).
The Wolverines are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite. The Hawkeyes are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog and 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning record.
Both Michigan & Iowa come into this game featuring top-10 scoring defenses, however, when comparing these offenses, it’s clear that Michigan has a huge advantage over Iowa. Michigan comes into this game ranked 13th in scoring offense and has been led by an outstanding rushing attack which currently ranks 9th in college football, while the Hawkeyes have struggled all year on the offensive end and come into this game ranked just 123rd in total offense. Michigan is going to have a challenge putting up a lot of points on this Iowa defense, however, as they are balanced I do still thin the Wolverines will put up around 30 points and as I just don’t see Iowa having any success on the offensive end in this one, I think Michigan wins the Big Ten Championship and easily covers this double-digit spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Michigan Wolverines -11
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05