Michigan will face Iowa in Iowa City Saturday night as part of “Champions Week” in the Big Ten. We discuss that and more in our weekly roundtable.

Initial thoughts when it was announced that Michigan would play Iowa?

CHRIS BALAS: Because … 2020.

This was always going to be a year with a lot of asterisks and changing on the fly, so in that sense it makes perfect sense. Iowa city at night in late December, when it’s probably going to be in the low 20s at game time? For a bunch of kids whose teammates have been testing positive for COVID and for whom morale has to be at least a bit low?

Sure, why not?

It’s ridiculous, frankly, but it’s the hand they were dealt. And Iowa, with its physical line play and six wins in a row, is probably the worst possible match-up for the Wolverines. The Hawkeyes are the best team in the West Division right now.

AUSTIN FOX: “Why?” was the first thought that came to mind, seeing as how it was originally announced these games would match up teams evenly from the East and West. The flip-flopping Big Ten apparently threw that idea out the window though. If this game goes the way everyone is expecting it to (a beatdown), it will serve as a horrendous ending to what was a horrendous year.

This game couldn’t be any more of a mismatch — it’s arguably the best team from the West playing arguably the worst team from the East.

CLAYTON SAYFIE: My first thought is that this is an uneven matchup, and that the Big Ten once again makes a head-scratching decision by having the No. 2 team in the West — and arguably the best team on that side of the conference — go up against the East's sixth-best squad. Iowa has one of the best defenses in the conference and the country, and Michigan's depleted offense that wasn't very good before a two-week break is going to have a rough go. Iowa's offense is nothing special, but Michigan's defense has been porous this entire season.

This is not a favorable matchup for the Wolverines at first glance.