3 keys for Michigan football vs. Iowa in Big Ten Championship Game

If Michigan football is going to win a third straight Big Ten championship, here are three keys for the Wolverines against Iowa. 

Michigan football is one win away from the Big Ten championship, which would be the third straight and the first time for the Wolverines to win three straight outright Big Ten championships.

The Wolverines have won 24 consecutive Big Ten games. That streak will be on the line Saturday night in Indianapolis against Iowa, the Big Ten West champ for the second time in three years.

Cade McNamara has been talking about Michigan football this week, even though he won’t say the name of the team, but he won’t be playing quarterback. Erick All is also out for the season.

Michigan football is a heavy favorite, by 24 points to be exact, and to avoid an upset this weekend, here are three keys for the Wolverines to beat Iowa.

A good game from J.J. McCarthy

This sounds simple, but if McCarthy is healthy and playing well, it’s hard to see Iowa winning this game. So from a Michigan perspective, that means giving him a running game.

No quarterback plays well under pressure and Iowa is capable of applying pressure, especially if the Wolverines aren’t able to run the ball.

Staying ahead on down-and-distance will be key against an Iowa defense that has allowed just 12 points per game this season.

Iowa wants to turn this into a defensive struggle, where it can force a takeaway, get a safety, or make some plays on special teams to pull out a win.

The best way to avoid that is to get a good game from McCarthy. He’s the biggest difference between the two teams — an elite quarterback — and he needs to play like it in a championship game, just like he did last season.