It’s bye week No. 2 of the Michigan Wolverines season but the rest of college football action keeps trucking on. Across the country are several Top-25 battles, including one within the Big Ten that could cause a cataclysmic shift in the College Football Playoff and conference rankings.
Here’s how you can watch some of the top action while Michigan is sidelined:
No. 9 Oregon Ducks vs No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes
- Day: Saturday, Nov. 8 2025
- TV: CBS
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Iowa City, IA
- Weather: 45 degrees, cloudy
- Odds: ORE -6.5, O/U: 40.5
Ahh, Kinnick Stadium in late fall, the place so many Big Ten powerhouses have seen their seasons squandered. The Hawkeyes are a bit of an enigma
in 2025. The dominant defense remains, ranking No. 4 in the country in points against by allowing 13.1 points per game. Both their losses have been tight against Top-25 opponents, Iowa State and Indiana. Just over a month ago, they held the high-powered Hoosier offense to just 20 points in a loss by less than a touchdown.
That’s the constant that has put opponents, even high quality ones, in a rough spot over the last two decades under Kirk Ferentz. The problem has been an anemic offense that has had a miniscule passing attack that has cost them wins when the defense can’t keep them ahead.
So they brought in quarterback Mark Gronowski in the latest iteration of trying to overcome that challenge. The two-time National Championship winner at South Dakota State was hopeful to continue that success at the Big Ten level.
That said, the Hawkeyes are never moving away from their philosophy, so Gronowski hasn’t been called upon to perform very often. He doesn’t have a single 200-yard passing performance this season. In the first two weeks, including that loss to Iowa State, Gronowski completed less than 54 percent of his passes. Since then has been a different story — in his last six starts his completion percentage is up to 68 percent, including a 19-for-25 performance that kept Iowa in the game against Indiana. If not for a late interception in Indiana territory, Iowa may have won that game.
That’s part of the challenge Oregon will face, as its only loss of the season is to Indiana. Dante Moore has had a breakout season, as he’s at 19 passing touchdowns this season and has completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 1,772 yards.
But what has really pushed the Ducks to the No. 5 scoring offense in the country is their running game, highlighted by Noah Wittington, Dierre Hill and Jordon Davison. That trio each averages 8.3 yards per carry, making them one of the most efficient backfields in the country.
They also boast a Top-5 defense. They’ve completely limited the passing game for opponents despite leading in a majority of their games, leading the country with allowing only 124.6 yards per contest through the air. That’s brought them to the No. 4 defense in yards allowed and No. 6 in scoring defense.
This should be a fascinating matchup, as the Hawkeyes hold on to dear life for their shot at the playoffs. The AP Poll didn’t have them ranked, but the committee saw them as the No. 20 team in the country for a reason. Their two losses come at a combined eight points, and Gronowski has continued to improve.
I see Iowa controlling this game and making it really close. Oregon’s traveling multiple time zones and this spread being less than a touchdown still makes me think this one stays close. I’m going to take the Hawkeyes at +6.5 assuming Iowa’s defense can stop the Oregon run game.
The play: Iowa +6.5 (-110)
Season Total: 23-20 (+0.95 units)
Noon ET (ABC) – No. 7 BYU Cougars vs No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders
- The play: o53.5 (-110)
Noon ET (ABC) – No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies vs No. 22 Missouri Tigers
- The play: MIZZU +7 (-110)
