By the numbers: Stats and figures to know surrounding Michigan, Iowa and the Big Ten championship

No. 2 Michigan Wolverines football is set to play in its first Big Ten championship game, looking to become the eighth conference champion from the East in the last eight years — since the divisions were split up into the East and West — to take home the title.

West division winner Iowa is standing in the way of the Wolverines’ first league championship since 2004 and first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. The No. 13 Hawkeyes are 10-2 and were ranked No. 2 earlier in the season, before dropping two straight games — then rebounded with four straight wins to close out the regular season.

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Michigan is an 11-point favorite, with some assuming the Wolverines will roll en route to the playoff. Although the East champion has won each time since 2014, it hasn’t always been easy.

After Ohio State thumped Wisconsin in 2014, 59-0, the West winner has put up a fight each time, starting with a 2015 thriller in which Michigan State beat Iowa 16-13 on a last-minute touchdown. Penn State trailed Wisconsin 28-7 in the first half of the 2016 game, but battled back to win in a 38-31 barnburner.

Ohio State went on a four-year run of winning the title, but got by Wisconsin by just six points, 27-21, in 2017. Midway through the third quarter in 2018, the Buckeyes led by just three points over Northwestern, before pulling away and notching a 45-24 victory. Ohio State had to come back from a 21-7 halftime deficit to beat Wisconsin 34-21 in 2019, and the Buckeyes were down to Northwestern 10-6 late in the third quarter in 2020, before taking control and winning 22-10.

The divisions are clearly unbalanced, evidenced by the record in the championship game, and Michigan’s biggest challenges are likely behind them. But that doesn’t guarantee anything, with the Wolverines coming off an emotional win and still having a tough opponent to play.

By The Numbers: Michigan vs. Iowa

3 Interceptions thrown by Michigan redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara this season, a low among Big Ten signal-callers who have attempted 150 or more passes. Iowa’s defense has been stellar at registering interceptions, with its 22 picks leading the nation. The next-best team has 19 interceptions. Iowa has picked off 86 passes since 2017, the most in the sport during that span.

6 Straight wins over ranked opponents for the Hawkeyes. Only Alabama, which has won 10 straight over top-25 foes, holds a better streak.

9 Sacks allowed by the Michigan offense this season. The team’s 0.75 sacks per game yielded mark leads the nation. Michigan has given up on average just 2.18 tackles for loss an outing, which slots third in the country.

9.7 Points per game for junior kicker Jake Moody, which is tied for 10th nationally and puts him in a tie as the fifth-highest-scoring kicker. Moody’s 115 total points on the season make his 2021 campaign tied for the fourth-best single-season scoring campaign in program history, and he’d take the No. 2 spot with five more points. Moody has 22 made field goals this season, three shy of the school single-season record set by Remy Hamilton in 1994. He is also three shy of matching former teammate Quinn Nordin (42) for a top-five career rank.

13.0 Sacks for Michigan junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, which is a program record for a single season after he posted three versus Ohio State. His 15 pressures against the Buckeyes are the most in a single game since Pro Football Focus (PFF) began tracking the stat in 2014.

18 Touchdowns for Michigan redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins, who is one score shy of matching Ron Johnson (1968) for the program’s all-time single-season rushing touchdown record. Haskins has also entered the top 20 for single-season and career rushing yards with last weekend’s performance. His 1,232 rushing yards represent the most in a season since Denard Robinson in 2012 (1,266) and the most by a U-M running back since first-year position coach Mike Hart in 2007.

Top-20 In the country for Michigan in total offense and scoring offense, and top-15 in total defense and scoring defense. Only the Wolverines and Alabama are top-20 in total offense and defense. Only Michigan, Georgia and Cincinnati are top-15 in scoring offense and scoring defense.

Top-25 Nationally is where Michigan’s defense ranks in seven major categories: Pass defense (23rd), rushing defense (22nd), third-down percentage allowed (20th), pass efficiency defense (16th), first downs (15th), total defense (14th), scoring defense (eighth).

25.7 Points per game for Iowa, which ranks 87th in the sport. The Hawkeyes are eighth-to-last in the country in yards per game (299.1).

33 Consecutive starts at center for Iowa junior offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum, who was named the Big Ten Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year this week. His 95.3 overall PFF rating slots second among the country’s offensive linemen, and his 96.3 run-blocking grade leads the nation.

54 Career games played for Michigan fifth-year senior safety Brad Hawkins, the most by an individual in program history.

124 Tackles on the year for Iowa junior linebacker Jack Campbell, a mark that checks in second in the Big Ten.

1,101 Rushing yards on 238 attempts for Iowa junior running back Tyler Goodson, who’s the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017. In his last four games, he’s averaged 5.5 yards per carry and 123.0 yards per contest (89 attempts, 492 yards).