College football odds: Iowa needs its defense to contend against Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines are 10–0 straight up and 6–4 against the spread over their last 10 games. The No. 2 Wolverines look to continue their dominance over the Big Ten when they visit the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday.
Michigan is a 21.5-point road favorite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Steady action on the Wolverines early in the week has moved the line three full points from its opening of Michigan -18.5.
It was business as usual for Michigan last Saturday in a 59–3 blowout victory over the Maryland Terrapins. Michigan’s 48 points per game ranks third highest in the nation behind only Louisville and Washington, and the team's defense ranks best in the country allowing only 10.7 points per game.
There is some debate over whether the Wolverines should be No. 1 over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the playoff rankings, but if both of these teams keep playing the way they’ve been playing, they’ll have a chance to settle it on the field this postseason.
In their last six games on the road, the Wolverines are 6–0 SU and 3–3 ATS per the OddsShark College Football Database.
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The Hawkeyes were one of the big surprises of 2015, putting together a 12–0 SU and 7–5 ATS run to push for a playoff spot before losing each of their last two games down the stretch. This season has been much more underwhelming for Iowa as it’s just 5–4 SU and 3–6 ATS.
Since winning back-to-back road games against Minnesota and Purdue, Iowa has lost each of its last two games against Wisconsin and Penn State and has averaged only 11.5 points per game in those two losses. Iowa is 4–1 in its last five games against Michigan.
The total on Saturday is set at 50.5 points on the college football lines. The OVER is 15–2 in Michigan’s last 17 games.
Michigan has scored at least 45 points in six of its nine games this season and has won its games by a staggering average margin of victory of 37.3 points. Iowa's offense won’t be able to keep up in a shootout, so the pressure will be on the defense if the Hawkeyes hope to keep this game close.
