Big Ten Title Bet: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Michigan Wolverines

When: 8 pm ET Saturday, Dec. 4

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium

TV: Fox

Point Spread: Iowa +10.5/Mich -10.5 (MyBookie – Take advantage of a 100% REAL CASH bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $300 by signing up through our site and using promo code PREDICT100. Free money is good money!)

Over/under: 43.5

It’s almost hard to believe, but the Michigan Wolverines will make their first-ever appearance in the Big Ten championship game Saturday night against Iowa in Indianapolis. Michigan finally got one monkey off its back last week with a victory over Ohio State and now looks for a win that would probably earn them their first invitation to the College Football Playoff. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, are also shooting for their first Big Ten championship game victory after receiving a huge gift last week from the Minnesota Gophers, who knocked off Wisconsin.
Michigan’s favored by ten and a hook here. Who do we like for our free college football betting pick?

Big Ten Championship Game Betting Odds

Championship Week’s college football betting lines opened Michigan at -10.5 over Iowa, with an over/under of right around 44. Early betting action was holding that spread steady while the total dipped half a point.
Anyone thinking the Hawkeyes might win this game outright could get upwards of +360 on the college football Moneyline.

Big Ten Championship Game Betting Preview

Iowa reached this Big Ten championship game by going 7-2 in conference play to win the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes finished their regular season last Friday with a come-from-behind 28-21 victory at Nebraska, then got Minnesota to beat Wisconsin Saturday to clinch the division title.
Iowa spotted the Cornhuskers the first seven points of the game Friday and trailed 14-6 at the half. The Hawkeyes later trailed 21-6 late into the third quarter but finished the game with a 22-0 run, scoring on a blocked punt return and a safety, to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
Iowa out-gained Nebraska 364-327 and out-rushed the ‘Huskers 186-129.

Last week was actually the first time in their last six games the Hawkeyes out-gained an opponent, although they’ve also out-rushed three of their last four foes, going 4-0 in the process.
So Iowa is back in the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2015, with a chance to win its first outright conference title since 1985!

Michigan, meanwhile, reached this Big Ten title tilt by going 8-1 in conference play to win the Big Ten East. It all came down to last week when the Wolverines finally beat Ohio State 42-27 at the Big House to win the division by a tie-breaker over the Buckeyes.
Michigan drove the opening possession of the game Saturday 75 yards to a touchdown and never trailed from there. The Wolverines led 14-13 at the half, then scored the first 14 points of the second half to go up 28-13 and held on for the long-awaited win over their hated rival.
Michigan out-gained Ohio State 487-458 and out-rushed the Buckeyes 297-64.

The Wolverines have now out-gained each of their last eight opponents and out-rushed six of their last eight foes. Michigan is also 4-0 both SU and ATS its last four times out.
So the Wolverines are playing in the Big Ten championship game, which was established in 2011, for the first time, with a chance to win their first outright conference title since 2003.
Also, at 11-1 overall, Michigan is probably one win away from making the CFP also for the first time

Common Opponents

These two teams played six common opponents this season; Michigan played Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, and Wisconsin to a record of 6-0 both SU and ATS and +133 yards per game while Iowa played those six foes to 5-1 SU, 4-2 ATS but only +28 YPG.

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Iowa-Michigan Recent History

The Hawkeyes beat the Wolverines five out of six meetings from 2009-16 but most recently, two seasons ago, Michigan beat Iowa 10-3 in Ann Arbor.

College Football Betting Trends

In games matching two teams ranked in the Coaches Top 25 this season, the higher-ranked outfits are 21-16 SU but only 17-20 ATS.

Totals Report

• The Under are 7-5 in Hawkeyes games this season, which are averaging 43 total points.
• Totals are split 6-6 in Wolverines games this season, which are averaging 54 points.
• Under are 3-0 over the last three meetings between these teams.

Free Big Ten Championship Game Betting Pick

Michigan is coming off its biggest win under Coach Harbaugh, with the crowd taking over the field at the Big House last week following the win over Ohio State. However, in our minds, that just makes the Wolverines susceptible to a letdown this week. Michigan owns a considerable edge on Iowa offensively, but the defenses are about equal, and the Hawkeyes seem capable of turning this game ugly. This looks like it could evolve (devolve?) into a tough, low-scoring Big Ten battle in which the winner only produces 20-23 points, which makes 10.5 points very tempting. We taking Iowa and the points and won’t be totally surprised if the Hawkeyes pull the outright upset. Bet your Week 14 college football picks for FREE by scoring a 100% REAL CASH bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $500 at GTBets Sportsbook!