Michigan vs. Iowa
Brady Hoke has certainly had a successful start to his time at Michigan. The Wolverines are 7-1 so far this year, and the defense has been light-years better than last season. Michigan is only 1-1 on the road this year, and they’ll get a tough road test this week at Iowa.
Kinnick Stadium
Saturday November 5, 12:00 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Michigan (-175) Iowa (+155)
College Football Spread: Michigan -4 (-110) Iowa +4 (-110)
Over/Under: 57
The Hawkeyes are coming off a very disappointing loss at Minnesota. Expect Kirk Ferentz to push the team really hard in practice this week. How will the Hawkeyes respond this Saturday?
Denard Robinson is the main man for the Michigan offense. Robinson actually isn’t having quite the season he did last year, but he is still one of the most dynamic players in football. Michigan will need Robinson to become more accurate throwing the football. He has thrown 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this year, and he is completing just 55% of his pass attempts. The best news for Michigan’s offense this year has been the emergence of Fitzgerald Touissant at the running back spot. Touissant is averaging 6.1 yards per carry, and he is taking some pressure off Robinson.
The primary reason Michigan is 7-1 right now is the much improved play of their defense. The Wolverines defense ranks 28th in the nation in total defense. Michigan is forcing turnovers at such a high rate that opponents are only scoring 14.6 points per game on them this year. Mike Martin is the leader on the defensive front, and Jordan Kovacs has stepped up in the secondary.
The Iowa Hawkeyes were 14.5 point favorites at Minnesota last week, but they managed to lose the game. The Hawkeyes are now 5-0 at home this year, but 0-3 on the road. The bad news is they now face a very talented Michigan football team. The good news is they will be in front of their home crowd at Kinnick Stadium. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
James Vandenburg is having a very good first year as Iowa’s starting quarterback. Vandenburg is completing 62% of his passes, and he has thrown 17 touchdowns and just four interceptions this year. Marvin McNutt is clearly the team’s go to guy on the outside. McNutt has 48 catches and nine touchdowns in 2011. The Iowa offensive line hasn’t been as dominant as normal, and that has hurt the offense quite a bit this year. Marcus Coker is averaging 5.3 yards per carry, but he has struggled against top defenses.
The Iowa defense has been very disappointing this season. They did lose a lot of talent from last year’s squad, but most expected them to still be a strength for this team. Despite having two very solid cover corners; Iowa is just 80th out of 120 teams in pass defense. The Hawkeyes are also allowing 164 yards per game on the ground. This unit needs to play better.
Michigan is just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a road favorite. Iowa is 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog. Iowa should be very motivated in this one, and I think they have a solid chance at an outright upset.
Free College Football Pick: Iowa +4
Score Prediction: Iowa 24 Michigan 21
