Big Ten Championship 2015: TV, Live Stream, Prediction for Michigan St. vs. Iowa

It appears as though the Big Ten Championship Game will serve as a College Football Playoff eliminator. In the latest CFP rankings, the 12-0 Iowa Hawkeyes are No. 4, and the 11-1 Michigan State Spartans are No. 5.

Assuming the No. 1 Clemson Tigers beat the No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC title game and the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide handle the fledgling No. 18 Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game, the top three teams—including the idle No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners—should remain intact.

The Hawkeyes and Spartans would theoretically be battling for the last spot, with no team below them possessing a real chance to leapfrog into the top four.

Game Details

Date: Saturday, December 5, at 8:17 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Spartans' Keys to Victory

Michigan State must slow Iowa's running game. The Hawkeyes have averaged 203.7 rushing yards per game this season, but the Spartans run defense has been solid, ranking 16th in the nation.

Since their 39-38 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Spartans have held the Maryland Terrapins, Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions to an average of 105.0 yards per game on the ground. More importantly, those three opponents averaged just 3.46 yards per carry against Michigan State.

The Spartans must be just as stout against the run Saturday—if not more so—to beat the Hawkeyes.

Hawkeyes' Keys to Victory

The key to the game for the Hawkeyes has to be winning the turnover battle. They've had some shaky performances this season when it comes to protecting the football. In total, Iowa has 11 turnovers on the season, but its defense has forced an impressive 25 in 12 games.

C.J. Beathard isn't the type of quarterback who is going to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Spartans, but he has to stay away from mistakes. So far, he's thrown only three interceptions on 303 pass attempts this year.

He'll need to be just as careful if the Hawkeyes are to punch their ticket to the CFP.

Prediction

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

In a battle between two above-average defenses, the Spartans will prevail. Quarterback play on third down will determine the winner of this game, and Michigan State's Connor Cook is a better passer and executor in these situations.

ESPN.com's Josh Moyer wrote about the Spartans' advantage in the passing game:

"

Cook has the advantage over Beathard here in almost every conceivable category on third down. He's completing twice as many throws 10 yards and longer (31 to 15), he has a better completion percentage (57.7 to 51.7), a better TD-to-INT ratio and has even taken fewer sacks (four to 10). And maybe the most important number of all? Cook is getting a first down on 47.1 percent of the throws he gets off, compared to Beathard's 42.5 percent. Whether it's third-and-long or third-and-short, the numbers really don't change all that much.

"

Despite the fact that both teams have proved to be effective running the ball, the two defenses will load the box and stand up at the point of attack better than any opponent either team faced in the regular season.

A number of key third-down situations will determine the outcome of the game. Bet on Cook to execute more effectively than Beathard en route to a close and exciting Spartans victory. Michigan State will win, 24-20, and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.