3 Bold Predictions for the Iowa Hawkeyes vs Michigan Wolverines Big Ten Opener

It's going to take some bold performances for the Iowa Hawkeyes to knock off the Michigan Wolverines. That's what ranked top-25 matchups call for, and the Iowa Hawkeyes have the horses to get them there.

It isn't going to be easy, but what ranked matchup on the road in Big Ten play ever is? Add in the 100,000-plus fans that will be inside Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, and you can see why the Hawkeyes are going to need a handful of standouts and bold showings.

That's why we are here with a trio of bold predictions for this Big Ten showdown.

Iose Epenesa forces a strip sack on Michigan QB Bryce Underwood

Iose Epenesa, the former five-star recruit, has been relatively quiet to start the year, but that's a bit more complicated than looking at box scores. Iowa has rotated defensive linemen to get experience at a position needing to find depth.

Iowa has also gotten out to massive leads in two of its three games, creating scenarios where the starters don't see as much action as they normally would.

This game won't get out of hand, and Iowa's defensive plan is going to be to force Michigan to sling it by selling out to stop early-down runs. On third-and-long situations, Iowa can turn to blitzes and stunts, which I believe frees up Epenesa to cash in on a strip sack for the Hawkeyes.

Hank Brown outplays Bryce Underwood

Hank Brown has been the better quarterback of the two through three games. He has yet to turn the ball over, is completing better than 72% of his passes, and is showing a growing willingness to take the shot downfield when it's there, with an intelligence to take the check down and stay ahead of the sticks.

Going into this game, Hank Brown knows turnovers will be back-breaking for the Hawkeyes, which is why I think he finds checkdowns, makes safe throws, and is smart with the ball. That doesn't mean Tim Lester won't dial things up.

Michigan could give Iowa a lot of one-on-one coverage on the outside, which lends itself to the shot play from Tony Diaz, which Iowa is more than capable of taking advantage of.

A fourth-quarter field goal decides this game

What team makes the fourth-quarter field goal to go ahead and win their Big Ten opener? That's the more difficult question, but with the way these two teams have looked a quarter of the way through the season, it's hard to see this game getting away from either squad.

Both of these defenses are looking elite so far, and the offenses are going to be fighting an uphill battle for four quarters. Getting three points on drives is going to feel much bigger than normal and more like a touchdown.

The fourth quarter could see this game tied or a one-score game, with getting into field goal range becoming paramount. Be it Iowa or Michigan, one of these two teams will hammer a late-game field goal to go up.

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