What they're saying, predicting ahead of Michigan's matchup with Iowa
Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh and his fourth-ranked team will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium. Here’s a look around the internet at what they’re saying ahead of kickoff.
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Media predicts outcome of Michigan at Iowa
Chris Balas: Michigan 20, Iowa 13
Clayton Sayfie: Michigan 28, Iowa 10
Anthony Broome: Michigan 23, Iowa 14
John Borton: Michigan 27, Iowa 17
Doug Skene: Michigan 20, Iowa 14
Bruce Feldman: Michigan 20, Iowa 12
Stewart Mandel: Michigan 17, Iowa 9
Isaiah Hole: Michigan 31, Iowa 10
Trent Knoop: Michigan 24, Iowa 9
Ryan Zuke: Michigan 23, Iowa 13
Andrew Kahn: Michigan 24, Iowa 10
Aaron McMann: Michigan 24, Iowa 7
Michael Cohen: Michigan 23, Iowa 10
Carlos Monarrez: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
Rainer Sabin: Michigan 24, Iowa 10
Jeff Seidel: Iowa 23, Michigan 20
Shawn Windsor: Michigan 23, Iowa 16
Matt Charboneau: Iowa 17, Michigan 13
Angelique S. Chengelis: Michigan 17, Iowa 13
John Niyo: Michigan 27, Iowa 13
Bob Wojnowski: Michigan 23, Iowa 10
John Borton, The Wolverine: Wolverine Watch: McCarthy mentality can make or break
Now it’s all about learning, and moving forward.
Consider Iowa the grandma of the Big Ten. Offensively, she can’t get across the street without help. In this case ONLY, we recommend removing the proffered arm assist and kicking away the cane.
The Hawkeyes feature a rock-solid defense, one that outscored its offense at Rutgers. The ONLY way Iowa stays in the impending showdown at Kinnick Stadium involves the defense creating turnovers and the impotent Hawkeye offense getting point-blank opportunities.
Michigan can’t supply those. J.J. McCarthy stands as the key factor there.
“As a coach, I’m looking at, hey, where’s the improvement?” Harbaugh said. “Let’s attack it and let’s really hone in on more fundamentals, more technique. To be able to win and have that many things to make improvements on, it really fires you up. J.J. is like a sponge and he’s going to collect it all and add it to his game.”
To the “Let J.J. be J.J. crowd,” don’t think for a minute that Harbaugh sees it that way. It’s let J.J. be the best J.J. he can possibly be, so J.J.’s rising tide can lift all of Michigan’s boats.
Clayton Sayfie, The Wolverine: Five burning questions for Michigan football ahead of big test at Iowa
As any former Michigan player, many of whom have suffered losses in Iowa City, will tell you, Kinnick Stadium is an extremely tough place to play. The sidelines are condensed, allowing the fans to get close to the action, and the noise stays in the stadium.
Iowa, thanks to the fans, in large part, forced nine false start penalties against South Dakota State in the season opener. Communicating on offense will be tough, so the Wolverines better be on the same page and keep their composure when (not if) something goes wrong.
The good news: Michigan was outstanding on the road a year ago, winning big road games at Wisconsin, Nebraska and Penn State. The crowd didn’t feel like much of a factor in the Wolverines’ lone regular-season loss at MSU. While there has been some roster turnover, the offense is essentially intact, and they’re the ones who will be dealing with the noise. They’ve insisted all week they have the same mentality as a year ago.
Starting fast will be paramount, and that could allow Michigan to take the life out of the crowd. McCarthy and a whole bunch of other Wolverines is going to make at least one or two mistakes in this game, and they can’t let that turn into two.
Bruce Feldman, The Athletic: College football picks against the spread: Bruce Feldman’s Week 5 picks
No. 4 Michigan (-10.5) at Iowa, Noon (Fox)
We all know how woeful Iowa’s offense has been, and the Hawkeyes have scored just six total points in their last two games against Michigan. We also know that stat about how the Hawkeyes are 5-1 in their last six home games against top-five opponents. Their defense, ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten, is tough enough to keep this one tight for four quarters. That said, Michigan did maul this group last year in the Big Ten title game, 42-3.
Michigan 20, Iowa 12
Pick: Iowa +10.5
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: College football picks, predictions against the spread for Week 5 top 25 games
This won’t be like last year’s Big Ten championship game, which the Wolverines won 42-3. Michigan has lost four of their last five at Kinnick Stadium, and that includes a 14-13 slugfest in 2016. The Hawkeyes defense is allowing just 5.8 points per game and have scored two touchdowns and two safeties, so Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy must be patient in his first road start, and the Wolverines need a better pass rush. If this were in prime time, then we’d consider an upset pick. Instead, we’ll take the narrow cover.
Pick: Michigan wins 28-17 and COVERS the spread.
Austin Meek, The Athletic: Michigan tries to snap its Kinnick curse: ‘Magic genuinely does happen’
The psychological game is secondary to the real game that unfolds on the field, but it’s not completely unrelated. Part of beating Iowa is understanding that the Hawkeyes are capable of transforming themselves when a highly ranked team visits Kinnick Stadium. The Wolverines saw that firsthand in 2016, when they arrived in Iowa City with a 9-0 record but lost 14-13 on a last-second field goal.
“What I remember more than anything is starting to say, ‘Hey, man, I think I might actually believe in magic,’” said Jake Butt, a Big Ten Network analyst and star tight end for that Michigan team. “That 2016 game, from a talent standpoint, we had so much more talent than Iowa that year. It was a game we should have won.
Tom VanHaaren, ESPN.com: College football Week 5: NC State-Clemson, Alabama-Arkansas highlight the biggest games
Since 2008, Iowa is 5-1 against top-five teams at home, and the team is hoping to continue that streak this week. The Hawkeyes have struggled on offense, though, and Ferentz said it’s going to be a difficult task to come out on top.
The two played last season in the Big Ten championship game, and Michigan won handily 42-3.
“We’re going to have to play really well all three phases. Just a basic answer there — and every play,” Ferentz said. “That’s the biggest thing. Then hopefully, we can get them to slip up or make a mistake or two, but they haven’t made a lot of them this year, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
While Iowa’s offense has had its struggles, the defense has been very good. The Hawkeyes rank No. 6 in rush yards allowed per game, only allowing 73 yards on average. In four games, no team has scored a rushing touchdown against Iowa.
Michigan’s strength has been in the run game, so that’s likely where the two will clash the most. The Wolverines rank No. 11 in rush yards per game, averaging 234.3 yards. Running back Blake Corum just ran for 243 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland, so it’ll be arduous for Iowa to stop Michigan and the run game.
Stewart Mandel, The Athletic: College football picks against the spread: Stewart Mandel’s Week 5 picks
No. 4 Michigan (-10.5) at Iowa, Noon (Fox)
Kinnick Stadium is known as the place where top 5 teams go to die, including Jim Harbaugh’s undefeated 2016 team that lost on a last-second field goal. But none of those previous Iowa teams had the nation’s 128th-ranked offense. Michigan’s offense will struggle in its first road game, but the Hawkeyes can’t take advantage.
Michigan 17, Iowa 9
Pick: Iowa +10.5
Shehan Jeyarajah, CBSSports.com: College football predictions, picks, odds: Michigan, Ole Miss, Utah on upset alert in Week 5
Say what you want about Iowa’s offense, but the Hawkeyes wreak absolute havoc on defense. Iowa has held its three opponents to 23 points — combined! Perhaps more importantly, Iowa is starting to find some real success moving the ball after the bleak start to the season.
Now enter Michigan, perhaps the least battle-tested offense in the nation. The Wolverines jumped to No. 4 in the nation despite playing three of the bottom six teams in the CBS 131 Rankings. In the lone matchup against a halfway competent team, Michigan barely edged Maryland 34-27 despite being gifted a short field touchdown on a muffed opening kickoff.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has never started a game on the road, nor has he started against a defense as good as Iowa’s. Saturday afternoon in Kinnick Stadium could be a rude awakening. But the money stat? Jim Harbaugh has never won at Kinnick Stadium in three matchups as a player and coach. The Wolverines have not won in Iowa City since 2005. Pick: Iowa +335
