Michigan - Iowa prediction, odds, pick, how to watch Big Ten Championship

Michigan aims for a title as we continue our College Football odds series with a Big Ten Championship Michigan-Iowa prediction and pick.

Michigan aims to continue undefeated as they go to the Big Ten Championship game against Iowa. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Big Ten Championship Michigan-Iowa prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Michigan comes in ranked number two in the latest college football playoff rankings, after defeating Ohio State to finish off a perfect regular season. After struggling with Maryland the week before, it was another stellar performance for Michigan last week. They never trailed in the game and spent very little time even tied. Blake Corum scored to open the game in the first quarter to give Michigan the 7-0 lead. They would lead 14-10 going into the half, but after a TreVeyon Henderson TD in the third quarter, the game was tied once again. Corum would respond though, scoring just four and a half minutes later, giving Michigan a lead they would never let go of, as they won 30-24.

Meanwhile, Iowa comes in 20-1 on the year, but 7-2 in conference play. They have not scored well this year, being over 30 points just once this year. In the two losses, on the road at Penn State and at home to Minnesota, they scored a combined 12 points. Still, the team has been carried by their defense. They have not allowed a team to score more than 20 points since the loss to Penn State. meanwhile, they have given up just 30 points in their last four games combined. Now, they must defeat one of the only teams in the nation with a higher-ranked total defense and scoring defense than them, the Michigan Wolverines.

Here are the college football odds , courtesy of FanDuel.

Big Ten Championship Odds: Michigan-Iowa Odds

Michigan: -21.5 (-110)

Iowa: +21.5 (-110)

Over: 34.5 (-114)

Under: 34.5 (-106)

How to Watch Michigan vs. Iowa

Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT

Stream: FuboTV ( Click for free trial )

Why Michigan Will Cover The Spread

One-time Heisman hopeful J.J. McCarthy leads this Michigan offense He has been good this year, completing 191 of 257 passes for 2,483 yards and 19 scores. In the last three weeks, he has not passed nearly at the same volume though. McCarthy has been under 25 pass attempts and 200 yards in each of them, still, he has some solid completion percentages. At Penn State, he completed seven of eight passes for 60 yards, and then last week against Ohio State it was 16 of 20 passes for 148 yards and a score.

The focal point of the offense is the running game. Blake Corum comes into the game with 976 yards on the ground this year, with 22 scores, a Michigan record. He has 518 yards after contact this year while forcing 20 missed tackles on the year. Last week was not his best, with just 88 yards, but he scored twice against Ohio State in the win. The change of pace back in Jonathan Edwards, who comes in with 354 yards and three scores this year. He is also a receiving threat, with 230 yards receiving this year.

In the receiving game, it is Roman Wilson who leads the way. He comes into the game with 648 yards on 40 receptions. He has brought in over 70 percent of his targets this year and scored 11 times. Meanwhile, when Michigan needs to move the chains, Colston Loveland is the target. He was the safety net for McCarthy multiple times against Ohio State. He has brought in over 75 percent of his targets for 550 yards and four scores this year. Loveland also has 26 receptions that have resulted in a first-time. That means 81 percent of his receptions have either been for a first down or a touchdown this year.

Michigan comes in with the second-ranked defense in the nation, while also being the top-scoring defense in the nation. Michigan ranks sixth in the nation against the run, while sitting fourth in the nation in passing yards allowed. The pass rush has been solid this year, with 21 sacks on the season. That is led by Jaylen Harrell with five of them. Further, Mike Sainristil has been a ball hawk this year. He has five pass breakups while also coming away with five interceptions. Joining him in the secondary is Will Johnson, who has been amazing, allowing three interceptions and two pass breakups, including an interception last week. Johnson also has not allowed a touchdown this year.

Why Iowa Will Cover The Spread

With the injury to Cade McNamara, Deacon Hill now leads this offense. He has completed 97 of 199 passes for 976 yards this year with five touchdowns. Still, he has not been great at protecting the ball. He has six interceptions on the year, with 14 turnover worthy passes. Further, he struggled last week. He completed just 11 of 28 passes for only 94 yards with an interception and two turnover worthy passes. Hill has thrown a turnover-worthy pass on an interception in all but one start this year.

Meanwhile, Iowa primarily moves the ball on the ground. It is Leshon Williams who leads the way. Williams comes into the game with 776 yards on the year, with 155 rushes. That is good for five yards per carry. Still, he has just one touchdown on the year. Kaleb Johnson is second on the team in rushing this year, with 415 yards on the ground and he has scored three times. Johnson is the leading scorer on the ground this year for Iowa.

With Erikck All still out for this game, the leading receiver for Iowa is still out. He played just seven games and had 299 yards and three scores. That leaves Nico Ragaini as the top current receiver. He has 227 yards this year but has not scored. The only active player with more than one receiving touchdown this year is Addison Ostrenga, the tight end. He has 128 yards this year and two scores.

What has gotten Iowas so many wins is their defense. They rank seventh in the nation in total defense this year, while also sitting fourth in the nation on scoring defense. the run defense is led by Jay Higgins and Ethan Hurkett. Higgins comes into the game with 70 tackles and 43 stops for offensive failure. Meanwhile, Hurkett comes in with 24 stops for offensive failures, while having an average depth of tackle just 2.1 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Higgins has also been solid in coverage this year. He has allowed just 260 yards this year, with three pass breakups, an interception, and no touchdowns. Meanwhile, Sebastian Castro has three picks and also has not allowed a score.

Final Michigan-Iowa Prediction & Pick

Iowa wins games on defense. The offense struggles to move the ball and score. The problem is, they are playing a better defense than theirs. The only time they played a top-flight defense this year, they struggled. That was a 31-0 loss to Penn State. Michigan has a better offense than Penn State as well. Blake Corum may not run for 100 yards in this game, but he will find the end zone. With plenty of time to rest, Michigan may not pull off the gas in this one. The total is something that could be scary to play, as Michigan could cover it on their own if they want to. The prediction in this Michigan-Iowa Big Ten title game is Michigan scores a lot early, and then sits on the lead.

Final Iowa-Michigan Prediction & Pick: Michigan -21.5 (-110)