Saturday's Expert College Football Picks: Michigan Vs Iowa

This weekend is full of some good games and Michigan vs. Iowa is definitely one of them. The Big 10 is known for epic, “grind-it-out” battles and this should be no exception. The Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked 12th and they recently looked strong as they beat Penn State. They come into the game at 5-0 against a 4-1 Michigan team. So what should we expect in this game as far as free college football picks go?

Michigan Wolverines CFB Picks: The Wolverines are competing a lot earlier than most people thought they would. Mired in a scandal at the beginning of the season Rich Rod’s team looked like they might struggle. So early in a complete overhaul, teams are rarely good. However, with his quarterback in tow, Rodriguez has put together a pretty strong team. They were ranked in the top 25 before falling to Michigan State last week.

Quarterback Tate Forcier is very talented and his athletic ability should present a matchup problem for the Iowa defense. They faced two similar quarterbacks this season and had trouble stopping them. Forcier’s a little better than either of those quarterbacks, so that could spell trouble for the Iowa defense. Even though he is only a freshman, he has already led them to some impressive wins against Notre Dame and Indiana. He is able to scramble around and make plays as well as throw the ball. He currently sits as the third highest-rated passer in the Big 10. Their offense is ranked second in the conference putting up 34 points per game.

Iowa Hawkeyes CFB Picks: The Hawkeyes are the favorites in this game, but they have been up and down this season. They show up and beat a top five team in Penn State and then they struggle to put away lesser teams. They barely beat Northern Iowa by a point after a blocked field goal attempt. Will it be the team that dismantled Penn State or the team that struggled to get by Northern Iowa and Arkansas State?

The Hawkeye defense is a very strong unit as they have only allowed a little over 13 points per game this season. Regardless of how sporadic their offense has been, the defense has been a pretty solid rock to build on. Amazingly, they are yet to give up a touchdown on the ground all season. They’ve also taken the ball away 14 times which is good for second best in the league.

The offense will rely on the talented Ricky Stanzi to lead the way. He has been brilliant at times this season and the Hawkeyes hope that he will play that way against the Wolverines. If they can put up a win this weekend, they are still in the conversation for a national title shot.

Outlook: Expect this to be a good game this weekend. Although if you are looking for free college football picks the Iowa defense is strong, they might have trouble with Forcier’s scrambling ability. the question remains whether Michigan can stop Iowa’s offensive attack. Head to head, they haven’t played since 2006. The Wolverines did manage to win the last three games although not many of those players or coaches are still still here. Expect a game that comes right down to the wire this weekend.

Check out Vernon Croy’s Expert College Football Picks for Saturday.