Big Ten play is here for the Michigan Wolverines, and they kick things off with a Top-25 opponent as the No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes come to Ann Arbor this weekend. Two of the most experienced head coaches in the country face off as Kyle Whittingham and Kirk Ferentz face off for what should be a heck of a chess game to watch unfold.
No. 18 Michigan Wolverines vs No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes
- Day: Saturday, Sept. 16, 2026
- TV: CBS
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Weather: 69 degrees, sunny
- Odds: MICH -5.5, O/U: 38.5
Michigan’s offense will have it cut out for them this weekend against a stout Iowa defense. They’ve pitched two shutouts this season, allowing the fewest points per game in the country
while also leading the nation in yards allowed at only 187.5 per game. Ferentz has had a long history of coaching elite defenses, especially up front, and that’s what a banged up Wolverines’ offensive line will have to work against.
Games like this one are why there has been such an emphasis from this coaching staff about protecting the football. Simply put, Michigan cannot afford coughing up the football in this one. They’ve put the ball on the deck in every game this season, and were lucky to recover it against Oklahoma, helping them in the win. Playing a clean game and Underwood making the right decisions against a well-coached defense will be the difference in this game.
Surprisingly, Iowa has the No. 30 offense in college football coming into this game. For where they have been historically under Ferentz, that’s astounding. It’s led by a Hawkeyes offensive line that has dominated early this season and a team that is rushing for 268 yards per game through their first three games, helping the team average 37 points per game.
Now, let’s also not pretend that Iowa has played a world-beater of a schedule. In fact, according to ESPN, their strength of schedule is 119th in the country out of 138 possible FBS teams. Iowa has cruised to a 95-0 point differential against Northern Illinois in Week 1 and Northern Iowa last week. But I think the best possible comparison to Michigan to this point isn’t that good of one, and it’s their hated rival, Iowa State.
The Cyclones returned zero starters from a season ago and had more newcomers (59) than returners (44) after Matt Campbell took the head coaching job at Penn State. A basically brand-new program and team held Iowa to 16 points and were within three points of pulling off an upset in Iowa City in a game where the Hawkeyes were favored by two touchdowns.
Michigan’s defense at home has been very strong through the first three games, and I think that is the difference in this ballgame. Senior Hank Brown is the starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes. This is his first full season as a starter at the collegiate level. That makes the Big House his first career road game, and he has never been sacked in his career either. The pressure that Jay Hill will dial up in this game is going to be quite difficult under the ruckus maize and blue faithful, and I think it’s going to be too much for this Iowa team to handle on Saturday.
The Bet: MICH -5.5
Other Top Games of Week 4
- Sat, Sept. 26 @ NOON ET on ABC: No. 1 Texas Longhorns vs No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers
- The Bet: o55.5
- Sat, Sept. 26 @ 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC: No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels vs No. 21 Florida Gators
- The Bet: Florida ML
- Sat, Sept. 26 @ 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC: No. 20 Oregon Ducks vs No. 12 USC Trojans
- The Bet: Oregon ML
