Big Ten Championship Game 2023: Early Preview, Predictions for Iowa vs. Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines will go after their third straight Big Ten Championship Game victory on Saturday.
Jim Harbaugh's team will face the Iowa Hawkeyes for the second time in three seasons in Indianapolis.
Michigan dominated its two previous conference title game victories, as it beat Iowa and the Purdue Boilermakers by a combined 85-25.
Iowa has history going against it, as the Big Ten West champion has never beaten the Big Ten East winner since the current divisions were set in 2014.
Saturday marks the final time in which the Big Ten Championship Game will feature the two division winners. The format changes to the two best records with the addition of four teams.
Michigan should be the overwhelming favorite to beat Iowa. A victory would confirm the Wolverines' spot in the College Football Playoff.
Michigan After Third Straight Big Ten Title Game Domination
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Michigan has not had to worry about a competitive Big Ten Championship Game in the last two years.
The Wolverines blew out Iowa 42-3 two years ago and the Purdue Boilermakers stood no chance against them in a 43-22 result last season.
Some of Michigan's highest margins of victory came against Big Ten West squads this season. It beat Purdue, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Minnesota Golden Gophers by a combined 108 points.
The Wolverines allowed just 30 points across those three matchups, a defensive run in line with the rest of their performances this season.
The Ohio State Buckeyes and Maryland Terrapins were the only teams to score more than 20 points on the Michigan defense this season.
Although those totals came in the last two weeks, Michigan's defense should not be viewed as vulnerable, especially against a lackluster Iowa offense.
Michigan can control the game through its rushing attack, led by Blake Corum, and we saw on Saturday, J.J. McCarthy is capable of big throws when asked.
Can Iowa's Offense Keep Up?
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Iowa's offense has been the laughingstock of college football.
The Hawkeyes struggled to move the ball all season, as evidenced by their last two winning point totals in the teens.
Iowa prides itself on playing strong defense to win low-scoring games, but it had trouble containing the Penn State Nittany Lions in its highest-profile game of the campaign.
Penn State put up 31 points in a shutout victory over Iowa. The Nittany Lions ran for 215 yards in that victory.
Michigan should produce a similar ground total in Indianapolis on Saturday night.
Iowa's offense would be unable to match what Michigan does, if the Wolverines even reach the 24-point mark.
The Hawkeyes have not scored over 24 points since their September 30 win over the Michigan State Spartans, which is why they will not be backed to pull off the upset.
Prediction
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Michigan 37, Iowa 10
The Big Ten Championship Game should be the most lopsided contest of Championship Week.
Michigan is too good on the interior for Iowa to handle for four quarters, as we saw two years ago in the 42-3 result.
The Wolverines need to follow their usual strategy of controlling the clock with their dominant rushing game.
Blake Corum has the potential to run for 150-200 yards if Michigan dominates the interior battle from the start.
Iowa's offense proved on a weekly basis that it is not capable of producing a high point total, so why expect anything different now.
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