M&BR Staff Predictions: Michigan vs. Iowa

Michigan is on the road this week for the first time this season to face an Iowa team hungry for an upset inside Kinnick Stadium.

Below, the Maize & Blue Review staff give their predictions on what they think will happen on Saturday.

Josh Henschke

This is another tough one to predict because we don't really know what Iowa is and Michigan is still trying to figure itself out. We know Iowa's defense is good but let's see what it does against an offense that has a pulse. As for the Wolverines, the Hawkeyes' defense has been less than stellar. Something has to give and I think the Wolverines are the more talented team.

Michigan 27 - Iowa 17

Brandon Justice

Michigan’s season is tuning up, and this week we’ll find out two things: how many problems Michigan’s offense truly has and how good Maryland is. Can J.J. McCarthy be a star without playing wildly dangerous against a turnover-happy Hawkeye defense? Field position and turnovers will play a large role in the game’s outcome, but the Wolverines’ defense is too strong of a mismatch for Iowa’s offense, or lack thereof. Expect a paint-drying pace in a chess match where Michigan utilizes its skill and speed advantages as the difference. Checkmate.

Michigan 24 - Iowa 13

Dennis Fithian

Just watched Blake Corum rip off a 67-yard TD run in the first quarter of the Big Ten Championship game against Iowa. If Michigan doesn’t keep Iowa in the game with turnovers the Wolverines will win this game in Iowa City by double figures. A couple of fumbles, a near pick and missed deep shots should be a good learning experience for this week's game against the Hawkeyes for JJ McCarthy. He won’t go into this road test overconfident.

Michigan 24 - Iowa 13

Trevor McCue

I can't get over how much last week's Maryland game reminded me of last year's Rutgers game and how much this game at Iowa reminds me of last year's game at Wisconsin. While all the signs are there for a defensive struggle, I think the Michigan offense bounces back in a statement way against Iowa. The Wolverines will get creative on defense and shut down the already bad Iowa offense. I'm going to go against Vegas for a second week in a row, I like the O/U number but I think the Wolverines do most of the scoring.

Michigan 34 - Iowa 7

Zach Libby

Iowa’s defense and hostile fans at Kinnick won’t be able to bail out an offense that’s ranked dead last in the FBS on Saturday. Jesse Minter will dial up the pressure and will forbid the Hawkeyes from totaling double-digit points.

Michigan 20 - Iowa 6

Brock Heilig

Jim Harbaugh acknowledged this week that Kinnick Stadium is “where top-five teams go to die.” He knows it’ll be tough, and so do his players. Luckily for Michigan, Iowa’s offense is disgraceful. Through four games, Spencer Petras has hardly completed 50% of his passes for 524 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. I don’t see a scenario where Iowa scores more than 17 points in this game. It all boils down to how well the Michigan offense can move the ball against the vaunted Iowa defense. I think McCarthy and Co. will do just enough to secure the win, but for the second week in a row, it won’t be pretty.

Michigan 23 - Iowa 13

Davis Moseley

The story through the first four games on Michigan’s schedules gave just a little bit of clarity as to what the Wolverines were as a team. Entering week 5, against an Iowa program known for knocking off top-five opponents at home, we will learn exactly who Michigan is. If they can survive Kinnick, they are deserving of their top five ranking. The Iowa offense is bad, but the defense, on the other hand, is arguably the top defense in the country. They feast on creating turnovers and making QBs panic with uncontrolled play. JJ McCarthy will have the spotlight on him once again, and after watching Maryland make him uncomfortable last week, Iowa has a blueprint. McCarthy immediately recognized he needs to be better, but if 69% completion with 220 yards and 2 TDs is the worst we see from him, Michigan is in a great spot. If McCarthy takes care of the ball and Corum plays as he has been, Michigan should beat the Hawkeyes handedly in Kinnick. The Michigan secondary will hold Petras to a sub-50 completion percentage and maybe a turnover or two. Big games out of JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, Roman Wilson, and Eyabi Okie propel Michigan to cover the spread.

Michigan 28 - Iowa 10

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