The biggest favorites in Power Five conference championship weekend went to the Michigan Wolverines. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and Michigan football are undefeated on the season, coming off an incredible victory against top-ranked Ohio State. Michigan stands as 22.5-point favorites against the 10-2 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship game.
A twist to pregame predictions occurred when a majority of the College GameDay crew picked Iowa to knock off Michigan. During their Saturday segment, Pat McAfee, Theo Von, and Lee Corso chose the Hawkeyes in a surprising sequence, per Scott Dochterman at The Athletic.
Iowa has seen their points totals for the game predicted from as low as three points to as high as seven points. They’re a team with a very insufficient offense, highly relying on defensive stops. It worked for them against lower-level Big Ten opponents, but a team like Michigan football is just too powerful to stop consistently.
The Wolverines have been in the Top 3 rankings for much of the season, being favored to win the National Title following their win against Ohio State. They’re an extremely deep team on both sides of the ball and should come out of this game victorious on their way to the College Football Playoff.
Despite the Hawkeyes’ prominent defense, the Wolverines are a team that’s playing for something more than just the Big Ten. They’re playing for a National title, a shot at shutting down all conversation against their talent, and a chance at putting Harbaugh on the pedestal with the championship trophy.