2. Michigan at Iowa
LINE Michigan -10.5
ATS PICK Michigan
You buying into all the fretting about the “Iowa is where top five teams go to die” thing?
Maybe you’re freaking out a bit after Michigan struggled to get by Maryland last week.
Maybe you think the real Iowa is about to suddenly show up, come up with five takeaways, and Rob Houghtlin its way into a 12-10 upset over the Wolverines?
Maybe it’s because Jim Harbaugh’s 9-0 2016 team went into Iowa City and lost 14-13.
Maybe it’s because it’s the first road game of the year for Michigan, or maybe it’s because the Iowa defense has allowed just 23 points in four games, or …
Maybe it’s because the spread is a wee bit off.
Yes, Iowa has a killer defense. However, who did it stop? South Dakota State. It held Iowa State to ten points in a monsoon, it stopped Nevada 27-0 in a rain delay game that took all night, and it held the high-powered Rutgers attack under wraps in a 27-10 win.
The defense will do its part. It’s not going to let this game get too out of hand, but remember, Michigan plays defense, too.
Iowa is still dead last in the nation in total offense. It’s got no passing game, the ground attack is barely averaging 100 yards per outing, and no one in college football has come up with few first downs.
I’m actually not joking here – it’s possible Michigan wins this game 11-0.
While we’re on the topic of weather, all indications are that it’ll be close to perfect out on Saturday – no crazy storms like there were for the first few Hawkeye games this season.
No, this won’t be 42-3 like the 2021 Big Ten Championship. However, it’s okay to think Michigan might really be that good again.