Big Ten Championship: Iowa vs Michigan 12/4/21 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Iowa Hawkeyes meet the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday in the Big Ten Championship college football action from Lucas Oil Stadium. Michigan has won four straight games. The Wolverines are coming off a big victory over Ohio State last weekend. As for Iowa, they’re on a four-game win streak themselves. The Hawkeyes beat Nebraska in their last appearance. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Michigan started out the season on a hot streak, winning their first seven games stretching until the end of October. The Wolverines closed out the month with a loss to Michigan State, but since have beaten Indiana, Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State. 

In last weekend’s rivalry matchup versus the Buckeyes, Michigan scored in every quarter—and put up 28 points in the second half—in a 42-27 win. Cade McNamara threw for 159 yards, but the star was Hassan Haskins. He rushed 28 times for 169 yards and a whopping five TDs. 

Over on the Iowa side, they won their first half-dozen games this year before tripping up against Purdue on October 16. Another loss to Wisconsin followed, then came wins over Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois and Nebraska. 

In the Nebraska game, the Hawkeyes were down 21-9 heading into the fourth quarter but scored 19 unanswered from there in a 28-21 win. QB Spencer Petras put up 102 yards, and Tyler Goodson added 156 yards on 23 carries to lead the rush. 

Iowa is 4-0-1 ATS in their last five in December and 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven as an underdog. The Hawkeyes are 5-2-1 ATS versus a team with a winning record and the over is 4-1 in their last five neutral-site games. 

Meanwhile, the Wolverines are 4-0 ATS in their last four overall and 4-0 ATS in their last five conference games. Michigan is 5-1 ATS in their last six after an ATS win. 

PICK: I’m going to stick with Michigan. The Wolverines are riding high after their epic victory over Ohio State in their last game. Michigan was outgunned in passing yards 394-190 but controlled the game on the ground on 297 rush yards. Ohio State’s 10 penalties certainly didn’t hurt either. The Wolverines kept the ball moving when they had it, going 6-of-9 on third- and fourth-down tries. 

As for Iowa, they benefitted from a fourth-quarter meltdown by Nebraska in their last game but a win is a win. The Hawkeyes have had three of their last four games decided by seven points or fewer, and I don’t think they’ll be able to muster the production to cover in this one. Should be a very interesting game to check out, though.