While things were a little uneasy during the first half, the Michigan Wolverines finally had a stress-free win last week when they cruised to a 52-17 victory over the UTEP Miners.
Last week’s bold predictions went 0-3, but if they hit every time, would they really be bold? While the predictions were all wrong, they were on the right track. I predicted Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter to have huge games, combining for over 250 yards and four touchdowns. The yardage was off, but they both did have their best games of the season and combined for three touchdowns.
I also predicted a 38-0 win. There were more points than expected, but the Wolverines did win by 35, so that’s close enough in my book. Now, we are just a couple of days away from Michigan’s big clash with Iowa, and it’s time for three more bold predictions.
There will be less than 20 points scored
Remember when Michigan beat Iowa 10-3 in 2019 in one of the most boring games of all time? Don’t be surprised if we get a repeat of that on Saturday. Both these teams have been dominant on defense so far this year, and while the Hawkeyes scored 55 last week on Northern Iowa, they could only muster up 16 points at home against an Iowa State team that isn’t very good. There’s a lot of talk about Iowa’s offense right now, but the Hawkeyes have played one opponent with even the slightest pulse, and they didn’t score a lot of points.
Obviously, Michigan’s offense has been a bit of a struggle as well. Week 1 against Western Michigan was a disaster, but we have seen a lot of improvement since then. Expect Bryce Underwood’s legs to be a major factor just like we saw against Oklahoma, but don’t expect the Wolverines to score a lot of points.
There aren’t many teams in the Big Ten I would pick Michigan to shut out, but Iowa is one of them. I don’t think Iowa is a bad team. In fact, I expect this to be a very challenging and close game. Iowa has some really good teams with really bad offenses. This year’s offense appears to be better than previous seasons, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if Michigan keeps Iowa off the scoreboard. Plus, the defense is going to be extra motivated after these comments from Iowa wide receiver Tony Diaz.
I don’t think a lot of points will be needed to win this game IF Michigan can take care of the football. If the Wolverines are sloppy like they were last week, they will lose. Iowa will take advantage of the turnovers and find ways to score points. However, if the Wolverines can force the Hawkeyes to drive the ball down the field all day long, I like Michigan’s chances. The Wolverines were much better at taking care of the ball in the big one against Oklahoma, and I expect that to happen again this weekend. Michigan wins, 13-0.