The best of the Big Ten East meets the best of the Big Ten West this coming Saturday in the 2021 Big Ten Championship Game. Will the Michigan Wolverines avoid getting their College Football Playoff ticket wet and win the conference title? Or will the Iowa Hawkeyes stun Michigan? Check out our preview of this Iowa-Michigan game below.
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Betting Preview for the Iowa Hawkeyes vs Michigan Wolverines NCAA Big Ten Championship Game on December 4, 2021
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
When: Saturday, December 4, 2021, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Michigan Wolverines (-10.5) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (+10.5) – view all 2021 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on the Michigan Wolverines (-10.5)
Record: 11-1 Overall / 8-1 Conference
Like the Hawkeyes, Michigan has an elite defense. The Wolverines are eighth in scoring defense (17.2 points allowed per game) and 15th in total defense (319.3 total yards surrendered per contest). Is Iowa’s defense better than the Wolverines? Maybe. What’s certain is that Michigan has a much competent offense than the Hawkeyes. Michigan is 13th nationally with 37.3 points per game on the strength of its ground attack that is ninth in the FBS with 224.9 rushing yards per contest. Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum form a 1-2 backfield combo that has a combined 2,097 rushing yards and 28 total rushing scores. Michigan flashed its assets last Saturday, when it took the Ohio State Buckeyes out of College Football Playoff contention with a 42-37 victory. Haskins rushed for 169 yards and five touchdowns, while Corum added 87 rushing yards.
Michigan is 4-0 against the spread in its last four games overall.
Betting on the Iowa Hawkeyes (+10.5)
Record: 10-2 Overall / 7-2 Conference
Iowa has a nice four-game win streak going for it, heading into the Big Ten Championship Game against the Wolverines. The Hawkeyes earned a spot in the conference’s title game thanks to their elite defense that is allowing just 17.3 points per game — ninth in the nation. They are 3-0 against ranked teams this season and allowed just a maximum of 20 points in those contests. That defense did not look so good last Saturday, though, during a 28-21 road loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, though Iowa forced two turnovers and held its opponent to only 5/13 on third downs. And while Michigan loves to run the ball more than pass it, Iowa’s defense is going to give the Wolverines even more reasons not to air it out. Iowa is no. 1 in the nation in both interception rate and total interceptions (22).
Iowa is 11-4 against the spread in their last 15 games after a win.
Writer’s Prediction
Michigan wins, 30-21.
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