It’s a rematch of last year’s Big Ten championship game when No. 4 Michigan hits the road to play Iowa at Kinnick Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines blew out the Hawkeyes in that conference title tilt last December, and they’re favored by double-digits for this game. Which way are we going with our free MICH/IOWA pick?
Michigan-Iowa Betting Odds
This week’s college football betting lines opened Michigan as a 9.5-point favorite over Iowa, with an over/under of right around 43. Early betting action then bumped the Wolverines to the 11.
Michigan-Iowa College Football Betting Preview
The Wolverines are 4-0 on the season after holding off Maryland last week at the Big House 34-27. Michigan turned an early Terrapins turnover into the first seven points of the game but later fell down 13-10 in the second quarter and only led 17-13 at the half. The Wolverines then scored the first seven points of the second half to go up two scores and held on from there for the victory. But Michigan came up short against the spread at -17. The Wolverines racked up 463 yards of offense Saturday but gave up 397 yards of Terps offense. Michigan also out-rushed Maryland 243-128 and won the turnover battle 3-1, creating a +8 points differential. Just enough to win the game. The Wolverines opened this season with a 51-7 win over Colorado State, covering at -31; then beat Hawaii 56-10 but came up just short ATS at -52; then blanked Connecticut 59-0, covering at -47. So while Michigan’s 4-0, it hasn’t exactly played much of a schedule so far. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, are 3-1 on the season after winning at Rutgers last week 27-10. Iowa spotted the Scarlet Knights the first three points of the game, then scored a pair of defensive touchdowns and led 17-3 at the half. The Hawkeyes then drove the opening possession of the second half 75 yards to a touchdown and eased home from there for the win and the cover at -9. Iowa actually got out-gained by Rutgers 361-277 but out-rushed the Knights 129-61 and won the turnover battle 3-0, creating a +14 points differential. The Hawkeyes opened this season with that ugly 7-3 win over South Dakota State, a game in which they produced 166 yards of total offense against an FCS defense and whiffed ATS at -10.5. Iowa then produced 150 yards of offense in a 10-7 loss to Iowa State before beating Nevada 27-0 and covering at -24. So this Hawkeyes team is averaging just 233 yards of offense per game this season, and they haven’t played much of a schedule, either.
Michigan-Iowa Recent History
The Wolverines are 2-1 both SU and ATS against the Hawkeyes in Harbaugh vs. Ferentz match-ups. Most recently, as mentioned above, Michigan beat Iowa in the Big 10 championship game last December 42-3, easily covering at -11.5. The Wolverines led that game 14-0 in the first quarter and 21-3 through three quarters, then pulled away late. In the end, Michigan out-gained the Hawkeyes 461-279 and won the ground battle 211-104.
- Get more details: Wolverines vs. Hawkeyes Week 5 Betting Stats
College Football Betting Trends
So far this college football betting season, teams ranked in the AP Top 25 are 68-9 SU and 39-37 ATS against unranked opponents. Top 10 teams are 6-3 SU and 4-5 ATS on the road this season.
Totals Report
- The Under is 3-1 in Wolverines games this season, which are averaging 61 total points.
- The Under is 3-1 in Hawkeyes games, which are averaging just 23 points.
- The Under is 3-1 over the last four meetings between these two teams, which averaged just 27 total points.
