Tag: Big Ten championship

Big Ten Championship: Michigan vs Iowa Prediction, Game Preview

Big Ten Championship: Michigan vs Iowa prediction, game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday.

Big Ten Championship: Michigan vs Iowa prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, December 4

Big Ten Championship: Michigan vs Iowa How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 4
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
How To Watch: FOX
Record: Michigan (11-1), Iowa (10-2)
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Big Ten Championship: Michigan vs Iowa Game Preview

Why Iowa Will Win

Oh poor Iowa …

Big underdog, no offense, no chance, sort of backed into this, it’s all about Michigan and finally being able win something massive under Jim Harbaugh.

This team is here for a reason.

No, the offense isn’t anything special – it was the worst in the Big Ten for most of the year until Indiana decided to take over the bottom spot – and there are a whole slew of matchup issues, but you don’t get to 10-2 in the Big Ten without doing something right.

The takeaways have returned. The Hawkeyes got to No. 2 in the nation after pounding on every possible turnover chance, but the production slowed against the better teams – Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota – before coming back with two takeaways against Illinois and Nebraska to close things out.

This isn’t going to be the type of team that hangs 50 on the board with a big offensive show, but it’s going to be measured, stay in control, and it’s not going to screw up.

There aren’t a lot of penalties, the team leads the Big Ten in turnover margin, and it needs to come up with multiple takeaways to pull this off. When there’s pressure and stress, the turnovers sometimes follow – and all the pressure and stress is on Michigan.

But …

– College Football Expert Picks, Championship Week

Why Michigan Will Win

Michigan doesn’t turn the ball over.

It gave away two fumbles against Northwestern and won easily, it turned it over twice against Michigan State and it mattered, and that was it.

There’s no reason to take any big chances.

Iowa’s offense doesn’t have enough pop to crank up the production, and unlike most normal Kirk Ferentz teams, it’s going to get owned on the lines.

The Michigan defensive front should dominate a mediocre Hawkeye offensive line that allows way too many plays in the backfield and doesn’t do anything for the run, and the Wolverine offensive front five leads the nation in fewest tackles for loss allowed and doesn’t give up sacks.

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What’s Going To Happen

It’s Michigan under Jim Harbaugh. We’re about to see if it’s allowed to have nice things.

Within 30 seconds after the breakout win over Ohio State finally ended, a large portion of TTUN (That Team Up North) Nation started freaking out that the team was finally going to get over the Buckeye hump only to blow it in the Big Ten Championship.

Nah.

Oh, it won’t be easy – Iowa really is good enough defensively to grind this down; no one has scored more than 27 on the Hawkeyes this year – and all bets are off if Michigan starts turning the ball over, but the lines will take control as the game goes on, the defense will rise up with a huge second half, and even though no one in Maize and Blue will be able to breathe easily until midway through the fourth quarter, yeah …

Michigan is going to be the 2 seed and – most likely – off to Arlington, Texas.

– College Football Schedule: Championship Week Predictions, Lines

Big Ten Championship: Michigan vs Iowa Prediction, Lines

Michigan 26, Iowa 17
Line: Michigan -11, o/u: 43.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 5

5: The King’s Man
1: CMA Country Christmas

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Championship Week Schedule | CFN Expert Picks
Rankings CFN 1-130 Rankings | AP | Coaches
Bowl Projections, CFP Predictions
Heisman Top Candidates: Who Wants To Win?

Does Michigan’s huge win over Ohio State impact Notre Dame?

The party is on in Ann Arbor…

Michigan wasn’t given much of a chance by the nation Saturday as they went into their Saturday date with No. 2 Ohio State ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings but hadn’t beaten their rival since 2011.

10-years later that streak has finally ended for the Wolverines as they upset Ohio State to secure their first ever trip to the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.  A win there over Iowa or Wisconsin will then mean Michigan will make their first trip to the College Football Playoff (CFP).

Related: Check out the Michigan and Ohio State perspectives at Wolverines Wire and Buckeyes Wire!

Here at Fighting Irish Wire we’re always trying to figure out how things impact Notre Dame.  In this case how are Notre Dame’s playoff odds affected by Michigan’s victory?

According to FiveThirtyEight, Notre Dame’s chances of making the CFP take a minimal hit as they drop from 31% to 30% with the Michigan win.  I don’t really get how they go down, unless Ohio State gets love from the committee they don’t deserve with two losses.

Michigan will be the obvious favorite in the Big Ten Championship next weekend regardless of who they play (Wisconsin clinches a berth with win over Minnesota, Iowa clinches berth if Wisconsin loses).  However, the matchup seems to lend itself better to both Wisconsin and Iowa’s chances with it being a Michigan team that doesn’t light up the scoreboard quite like Ohio State’s can do.

Pretty simply, the spread in next week’s Big Ten championship will be a smaller number than if Ohio State was playing.  That’s not to take anything away from Michigan whatsoever, just with an offense that wasn’t viewed as “as sexy” as Ohio State’s, that’s a fact.

That said, I’ll still pick Michigan to come out of that as the victor, but perhaps it’ll be a tougher test than the first meeting between the two was.

Other than that, Ohio State having two losses eliminates them from the CFP, just like a second loss by Alabama SHOULD do to the Tide.

So in short, Michigan’s win helps Notre Dame in the fact that maybe the Big Ten is now ever-so-slightly more winnable for Wisconsin than it would be if they played Ohio State?

It’s not a bad thing, whatever the case.

So congrats to Michigan fans that have sat through a lot of torcher with Ohio State the last couple decades.  That’s a win worth celebrating for days.

Heck, celebrate it for the next week straight and come out flat in Indianapolis?

Related:

FIW Staff Picks for Notre Dame-Stanford

The 50 biggest college football stadiums

LOOK: Iowa celebrates…a Big Ten West division title?

LOOK: Iowa celebrates…a Big Ten West division title?

The Wisconsin Badgers would win the Big Ten West with a win over rival Minnesota today. Iowa and Wisconsin would be tied with a 7-2 conference record, though the Badgers have the tiebreaker thanks to a 27-7 win over the Hawkeyes in October.

Iowa needed a win over Nebraska yesterday to stay alive in the race for the West. A loss would’ve meant Minnesota could win the division with a win today.

Well, the Hawkeyes mounted a massive late comeback and handed Nebraska yet another one-score loss (Nebraska is somehow 1-8 in conference play yet had a +0 score differential).

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Think today’s game at Minnesota is shades of 2019? Well Iowa celebrated a Big Ten West title after its win yesterday. Yes, you read that right. The shirts read “2021 West Division Champions,” even though Wisconsin still has a game to play later today.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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A Week 13 college football rooting guide for Wisconsin Badger fans

A Week 13 college football rooting guide for Wisconsin Badger fans

Wisconsin fans know what’s at stake in Minneapolis tomorrow when the Badgers take the field against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

With a win, the Badgers would finish the season with an 8-game win streak and a Big Ten West title after starting the season 1-3. With a loss, either Minnesota or Iowa will likely capture the division and the Badgers will fall a game short.

Related: Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Minnesota this weekend

Well, there are other relevant games this weekend to the rest of Wisconsin’s season. Some have to do with the Big Ten picture, and some are more on the national stage.

Here is the complete Week 13 college football rooting guide for Wisconsin Badger fans:

Joel Klatt thinks this could be ‘Wisconsin’s best chance to win the Big Ten in a long time”

Joel Klatt thinks this could be ‘Wisconsin’s best chance to win the Big Ten in a long time”

Wisconsin began its 2021 football season on quite a skid. The team lost three games in the FOX Big Noon Kickoff window all to ranked teams, finishing with a record of 1-3 through the first four weeks of the season.

The losses did not come because of any lapses from Jim Leonhard’s remarkable defense. They came thanks to offensive mistakes, turnovers and critical errors during the worst time.

That stretch is far behind this team, though, and I’d argue the team we watch now is far different from the one that lost 38-17 at home to Michigan. Braelon Allen has emerged as Wisconsin’s next great running back, Graham Mertz is taking steps forward as a quarterback and the defense is forcing turnovers at an alarming rate. The team’s six-game win streak has it in a position to win the final two games of the season and move on to the Big Ten Championship.

FOXSports analyst Joel Klatt went on B1G Today and discussed this Wisconsin team and its chances at winning its first conference title since 2012.

He said in the appearance he thought this could be, if they get to the game, the Badgers best shot at winning the Big Ten ‘in a long time.’

Here’s his full quote:

“I thought they would beat Penn State, I thought they would beat Michigan, I thought they would beat Notre Dame. I think very highly of Wisconsin. If they’ve got the right blueprint, in particular on the offensive side and they finally found it with that run game and the commitment to the run game, because the defense is easily the second best defense in college football. They are excellent on the defensive side. I’ve done all these championship games and every single time you come in and there’s a pretty big gap between Ohio State and the team that they’re going to play from western side of the division. And I don’t feel that way this year. Even if it is Ohio State, even if Ohio State beats Michigan and Michigan State and they kept bringing this great offense. I’ve seen what happens to Ohio State when they play a great defense. I think Nebraska is a really good defense, Penn State is a very good defense. And we’ve seen what happens to them in those moments. And Wisconsin is better than Penn State, and they are better than Nebraska on the defensive side. Which I think would give Ohio State problems. They would certainly give Michigan State and Michigan problems. There’s no doubt about it. This is Wisconsin’s best chance, if they can get to that game, this is their best chance to win that game in a long time.”

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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What is Wisconsin’s most likely path to the Big Ten Championship game?

What is Wisconsin’s most-likely path to the Big Ten Championship game?

The 2021 Wisconsin Badgers are facing an uphill battle to return to the Big Ten Championship game for the third time in five years.

The team sits at 1-2 in Big Ten play after Saturday’s win at Illinois, two back in the loss column of undefeated and No. 2-ranked Iowa.

The Badgers and Hawkeyes are set for a showdown on October 30 at Camp Randall. If Wisconsin wins that game, the team would sit only one game behind Iowa with a month of the season still to go. A loss on October 30 would essentially end the Badgers’ shot at a trip to Indy.

But if the Badgers win, what else would need to happen for them to win the Big Ten West? Here are two outcomes, with the most likely up at the top:

  1. Wisconsin wins out (finishes 9-3, 7-2 Big Ten), Iowa loses on the road at Nebraska on November 26
  2. Wisconsin wins out, Iowa loses to either Purdue or Minnesota

Every other scenario is frankly way too unlikely to list (each includes the Hawkeyes falling to Illinois or Northwestern).

Related: Big Ten power rankings after Week 6 — Hey, Iowa

The two scenarios listed are also a significant longshot with what we’ve seen from Wisconsin against good teams. But who cares, it’s worth the speculation.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Compiling an all-Big Ten team to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes

The age-old question: who is ever going to defeat Ohio State and change their run of consecutive conference titles. The Wisconsin Badgers

The age-old question: who is ever going to defeat Ohio State and change their run of consecutive conference titles.

The Wisconsin Badgers had two good shots at it recently, losing by six in 2017 and leading the Buckeyes by three scores in 2019. But Ryan Day’s program is on a tear, and the odds say 2021 won’t be the year they give up the crown.

So I’m here to pose and answer a critical question: Is there an all-Big Ten team that could take the field with Ohio State and finish on top?

Here is what my squad would look like (taking position groups, not individual players, from each school’s roster):

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Michigan State Women’s Golf wins Big Ten Championship

The MSU Women’s Golf team has won the Big Ten Championship.

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For the third time since 2017 and for the sixth time in the last 11 years, the Michigan State Women’s Golf team has won the Big Ten Championship.

Michigan State was -11 on the day as a team in the Big Ten Championship, which was played at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio. Valery Plata led the Spartans with a total score of -5. Paz Marfa also shot under par with a score of -2.

Here is a picture of the team with the trophy:

Maryland, Michigan and Nebraska all tied for second with a cumulative score of -6.

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WATCH what Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said about Ohio State after the Big Ten Tournament Championship game

Ohio State came up just short of beating Illinois for the Big Ten Championship Sunday. Watch what Brad Underwood said about the Buckeyes.

Ohio State and Illinois staged an epic Big Ten Tournament Championship game on Sunday. The game went back and forth and eventually went into overtime before the Illini were able to make just a couple more plays than the Buckeyes down the stretch. As a result, OSU came up just short.

But Illinois coach Brad Underwood was impressed by what Ohio State did and how it played. He met with the media after the game and provided his thoughts on how his team played, but also went out of his way to compliment the Buckeye squad that took his team to the brink.

In case you missed anything from what he said, we’ve got his full press conference thanks to the folks at the Illini Report. Click on the below YouTube link and watch Underwood compliment Ohio State’s ability to shoot and score, the talent of Duane Washington, and more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mszsmXTHq64

LOOK: Michigan State Basketball unveils 2019-20 Big Ten Championship ring

Michigan State Basketball has unveiled their 2019-20 Big Ten Championship rings.

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For those Michigan State Basketball fans bored while the Spartans have been sidelined in quarantine, we have some good news. The team unveiled their 2019-20 Big Ten Regular Season Championship rings on Monday, and they are beautiful.

MSU won the Big Ten Regular Season Championship in 2018, 2019, and again last season in 2020. That was their sixteenth regular season championship, which puts them at No. 6 in the league overall.

Check out the ring below:

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