College Football

How to watch Michigan vs. Iowa: Preview, TV time, odds and more

Here’s everything you’ll need in order to catch the game between the Wolverines and Hawkeyes.

Nov 23, 2013, 1:00 PM UTC

Tasos Katopodis

Michigan and Iowa meet this week in a game that doesn’t have any Big Ten title implications. That qualifies as a disappointment for the Wolverines, who came into the year expecting to be a factor in the Legends Division. Instead, they’re already guaranteed a worse conference record than they had in 2012. Then again, things could be worse -- Michigan needed three overtimes to top Northwestern a week ago in a game that easily could have gone the other way.

Iowa is out to avenge last season’s blowout defeat in Ann Arbor, and the Hawkeyes are in a better position to do just that. They’ve been a little better on both sides of the ball in 2013, showing a bit more life offensively while also limiting opponents to 18.7 points per game.

The numbers

Rankings and records: Michigan is 7-3 (3-3) this season, while Iowa is 6-4 (3-3). Neither team is ranked. Michigan leads the all-time series, 41-13-4.

Vegas: Iowa is a 6-point favorite. The over/under is 46.5.

Weather: It’ll be windy and cold, with the high expected to hit only about 25 degrees.

Three names to know

Devin Gardner -- Gardner has had some fine days throwing the football, but the Wolverines haven't been sure exactly what they could expect out of him week to week. He's also struggled to make an impact with his feet recently -- including sack yardage, he hasn't picked up more than 19 rushing yards in any of his last three games.

Jake Rudock -- Rudock's run into some trouble during his first year as Iowa's starting quarterback, which is to be expected for just about every first-year starter. He has nine interceptions in 279 pass attempts, and that's not an ideal ratio. But he's also completing nearly 60 percent of his throws, and he has 14 touchdown tosses so far.

Jeremy Gallon -- Only two Big Ten receivers have surpassed the 1,000-yard mark this season, and Gallon is one of them. The Michigan wideout is second in the league in receiving yardage, fourth in touchdown receptions and fourth in yards per catch.

Two things at stake

Michigan is out of the running for a division title, leaving the Wolverines to play for a strong finish and a better bowl game. They can still spoil rival Ohio State’s national title hopes, but if they’re focused on that already, they may be in some trouble.

Iowa is out of the mix in the Legends Division as well, but the Hawkeyes have already surpassed their win total from a year ago, getting themselves back into a bowl game after a one-year hiatus. After going just 2-6 in league play last season, beating Michigan for conference win No. 4 would be a solid step forward. Whether or not it would represent any progress in the long-term for Kirk Ferentz’s outfit is difficult to say.