The game has yet to be played, yet Michigan faithful are already celebrating a third straight Big Ten Conference championship.
It’s hard to blame them.
On paper, the second-ranked Wolverines are a clear favorite to win the title and return to the College Football Playoffs and its easy to see why.
No. 16 Iowa’s offense is tied for 121st in scoring and 130th in total offense. The Hawkeyes (10-2) have scored just 20 offensive touchdowns all season, and the number goes up to 22 touchdowns when factoring in a punt return and pick six. Iowa has become a college football meme for punting, having kicked the ball away so much that the unit has accumulated 847 yards more than passing and rushing combined.
Michigan, on the other hand, has scored 59 touchdowns — including 22 from running back Blake Corum.
Furthermore, since the split into East-West divisions in 2014, no Big Ten West team has won the championship. This will be Iowa’s third attempt, having lost in 2015 to Michigan State and 2021 to Michigan.
So yeah, it’s easy to see why everybody is writing off Iowa and crowning Michigan the three-time Big Ten champion.
But not so fast!
Lets not forget the phrase defense wins championships.
Iowa is scary on defense; the Hawkeyes have a top ten defense in 2023 and are allowing just 12.2 points per game, sitting at fourth. That unit has also scored three safeties and allowed just 12 touchdowns all year, including three in its last six games. Iowa also has a fumble return, to boot.
The Hawkeyes and their head coach Kirk Ferentz know what type of team Iowa is. This is a squad that forces you to play football the way they want you too.
Still, the toughest threat Iowa faced all year was Penn State on Sept. 23, and the Hawkeyes were shutout, 31-0. Michigan beat the Nittany Lions so thoroughly, that they didn’t attempt a pass the entire second half of the game.
Michigan fans should enter tonight’s contest with cautious optimism. The Wolverines should win, but it may not look as lopsided as many think.
