For the second time in three years, Michigan football and the Iowa Hawkeyes will match up in Indianapolis with the winner taking home a simple prize: the Big Ten Championship.
The Wolverines enter the contest undefeated, with ranked wins against Ohio State and Penn State. Iowa is 10-2 and has faced only one ranked team: Penn State, to which it lost 31-0.
This game would have been more intriguing if former Michigan football players Cade McNamara and Erick All were still playing, but both suffered season-ending injuries early in the season. Still, the Hawkeyes have inexplicably found ways to win, despite a really abysmal offense under offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. Defensive coordinator Phil Parker, however, has his unit rolling, and he’s a Broyles Award finalist (along with Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore).
How does each team match up against the other by the numbers on offense and defense? Ultimately, this one looks like it will come down to the Iowa defense stalling out the Wolverine offense, because the worst offense (statistically) isn’t likely to do much against a defense that actually ranks higher than where the Hawkeyes fare. That said, the Iowa defense is doing what it’s doing without playing complementary football, which speaks to how good it is.
Without further ado, here are the numbers.
Michigan offense, Iowa defense, by the numbers
| Michigan offense (rank) | Iowa defense (rank) | |
| Passing | 224.8 yards/game (64) | 174.3 yards/game allowed (9) |
| Rushing | 169.75 yards/game (53) | 105.58 yards/game allowed (17) |
| Scoring | 37.2 points/game (13) | 12.2 points/game allowed (4) |
| Total | 394.5 yards/game (59) | 279.9 yards/game allowed (7) |
| First downs | 21.2 first downs/game (52) | 16 first downs/game allowed (10) |
| Third down conversions | 49.64% (8) | 32.8% allowed (23) |
| Red zone conversions | 87.27% (44), TD: 72.73% (16) | 70.83% allowed (3), TD: 37.5% allowed (2) |
| Tackles for loss | 40 allowed (4) | 65 (81) |
| Sacks | 14 allowed (14) | 23 (84) |
Iowa offense, Michigan defense, by the numbers
| Iowa offense (rank) | Michigan defense (rank) | |
| Passing | 123.4 yards/game (130) | 155.3 yards/game allowed (4) |
| Rushing | 122.92 yards/game (104) | 91.42 yards/game allowed (7) |
| Scoring | 18 points/game (124) | 10.3 points/game allowed (1) |
| Total | 246.3 yards/game (133-last) | 246.8 yards/game allowed (2) |
| First downs | 21.5 first downs/game (133-last) | 13.2 first downs/game allowed (2) |
| Third down conversions | 31.03% (123) | 31.7% allowed (17) |
| Red zone conversions | 81.25% (81), TD: 41.18% (131) | 71.43% allowed (6), TD: 42.86% allowed (8) |
| Tackles for loss | 62 allowed (49) | 68 (67) |
| Sacks | 24 allowed (69) | 29 (40) |
Michigan and Iowa will kick off at Lucas Oil Stadium at 8 p.m. EST with the game being broadcast on Fox.