Michigan football fans should be ready because Saturday won't be for the faint of heart.
17th-ranked Iowa will come into the Big House on Saturday to take on the 18th-ranked Wolverines, who are 3-0, just like the Hawkeyes. Michigan is a 4.5-point favorite.
Michigan football has won four in a row in this rivalry, dating back to 2019. The Wolverines won that game 10-3. Aidan Hutchinson put forth a dominant effort. Kwity Paye was great, too.
That was the definition of a defensive struggle, which could be what we see on Saturday between the Wolverines and Hawkeyes.
Peering into the crystal ball ahead of Week 4, here are three bold predictions, and our final score prediction for Michigan vs. Iowa.
Bryce Underwood won't turn the ball over
This is going to be the most important factor in the game. If Michigan wins the turnover battle, it will win the game.
That's much easier said than done against Iowa. The Hawkeyes are great at intercepting quarterbacks. They also have a knack for knocking the ball out.
Part of that is they don't play a ton of variations on defense. It's the same stuff. They just play it really, really well. Running the ball won't be easy. Bryce Underwood will need to be involved, at least as part of the zone-read game. Some quarterback scrambles could be productive, too.
Iowa is great at rallying to the football and tackling. They are fundamentally sound and solid in the trenches. Oklahoma was, too, though and the Sooners throw a lot at you.
Bryce Underwood passed that test. He only threw for 111 yards. He ran 19 times, but that's what was needed to win. Michigan's defense is good enough to win this game. Underwood just can't lose it.
Last week, the sophomore quarterback completed 76 percent of his passes. He made UTEP pay for stacking the box. Can he repeat that performance against Iowa?
That remains to be seen. I wouldn't be shocked if Underwood had under 100 passing yards, but he won't have a turnover, just like the Oklahoma game, which is the most important thing against Iowa.
Michigan will run for over 150 yards
Iowa only gives up 66 yards per game and 2.2 yards per rushing attempt so far this season. It won't be easy to run the ball against Iowa, but Michigan ran for 152 yards against Oklahoma and had 185 yards last week against UTEP.
The Wolverines cut out some of the jet sweep runs in the second half last week and went to some more old-school stuff. It worked. Savion Hiter and Jordan Marshall each averaged more than five yards a pop.
Iowa is different than UTEP. However, you can expect Underwood's legs to be activated in this game, especially if he can get outside the pocket.
Even if Andrew Sprague ends up starting, this Iowa defensive line will be tough to block. The Hawkeyes are always stout and they have three linebackers with multiple sacks.
Nobody is saying that moving the ball against Iowa will be easy. Savion Hiter will find a crease or two and find a way to rip off an explosive run. Underwood will, too.
300 total yards might not happen.
Hank Brown will have fewer than 150 yards passing
Against Northern Illinois, Brown threw 20 times for 129 yards. Against Iowa State, he threw for 191 yards on 30 attempts.
Neither of those defenses is comparable to Michigan's. Brown went 12-for-12 last week against Northern Iowa and upped his average. That won't happen this week.
Tony Diaz will find some tough sledding in man coverage, and Hank Brown will have fewer passing yards than Michigan has rushing yards.
Score Prediction: Michigan 16, Iowa 10
This game will be ugly and will be an absolute battle until the final whistle. Michigan's defense is the best unit on the field, though, and the Wolverines avoid enough mistakes to win.
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