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Michigan vs. Iowa: 3 bold predictions for Big Ten Championship Game

By Ethan Lee

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 23: Hassan Haskins #25 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates a second half touchdown with teammates while playing the Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 33-7. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 23: Hassan Haskins #25 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates a second half touchdown with teammates while playing the Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 33-7. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes waits with the team before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 26, 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE – NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes waits with the team before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 26, 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

The 2021 Big Ten Championship Game features some stout defenses and impressive running backs. How will the Michigan vs. Iowa game play out?

The regular season of the 2021 college football season has officially wrapped up and it’s just about time for the conference championships. The Michigan Wolverines and the Iowa Hawkeyes are working to get prepared for their meeting in the 2021 Big Ten Championship Game.

There’s been an interesting bit of history between the two when it comes to competing for the Big Ten crown.

While neither the Hawkeyes nor the Wolverines have done much to compete for the Big Ten Championship in recent years, there has been a good bit of overlap between the two programs in the early 2000s.

In 2002, the Hawkeyes split the Big Ten title with the Ohio State Buckeyes as both Iowa and Ohio State were able to hand Michigan its only two conference losses that year. In 2003, the Wolverines won the conference title, but Michigan’s lone conference loss came to the Hawkeyes. In 2004, Michigan and Iowa shared the conference crown, but Michigan beat Iowa in their head-to-head matchup.

Now, in 2021, the two teams are set to meet in the Big Ten Championship Game. A lot has happened since Michigan and Iowa were both contenders for their conference title as there’s no sharing of the conference title any longer. Instead, the two will play for the right to be the Big Ten champion.

Here are three bold predictions for the upcoming Big Ten Championship Game.

Michigan vs. Iowa: 3 bold predictions for Big Ten Championship

3. Iowa fails to get 300 yards of offense against Michigan’s defense

The Hawkeyes don’t exactly have a great offense. It’s one of their biggest issues this season and honestly, it makes the Hawkeyes pretty vulnerable when facing foes like the Wolverines.

It’s worth noting that this particular Iowa team actually does win. And they’ve got a stout defense that does more than enough to get some notable wins. But that’s essentially all this Hawkeyes team has been able to brag about for much of this season.

The Hawkeyes aren’t even averaging 300 yards per game on the year. Iowa’s offense generates just shy of that mark at 299.3 total yards of offense per game. The Hawkeyes are managing to score 25.7 points per game, which is good for 87th in the country this year.

Combine that relatively offensive offense with how Michigan’s defense is playing and it might be a long day for Iowa fans on Saturday.

Throughout the season, the Wolverines are holding foes to 17.2 points per game (good for eighth-best nationally) and 318.8 yards per game. That should be good enough to slow Iowa’s already pretty slow offense down and hold them below 300 yards in the Big Ten Championship Game.

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