Iowa goes after title, spot in playoff

Iowa senior Jordan Canzeri has the most yards with 964 after he helped seal the win last week at Nebraska with 29 and 68-yard scoring runs. King, meanwhile, was the Big Ten’s best defensive back after picking off an FBS-leading eight passes and tying Iowa’s single-season school record.

He scored on a nine-yard touchdown run to give the Spartans their final points in last week’s win over Penn State, a run designed as a tribute to the senior.

About a month ago, Michigan State’s secondary cost the Spartans a shot at an undefeated season, and a Big Ten title seemed unlikely unless things improved quickly. Defensively, Michigan football yields 231.0 yards in passing and 118.2 ayrds in rushing.

Game Odds – Spread and Total: Michigan State is the 3.5-point favorite; the total is at 52.5 points.

When asked whether the two-season-old playoff could see its first conference nonchampion as a playoff entry, selection committee chairman Jeff Long said he was unable to answer that at this point. “If we do that, we can live with the result”. The game will be one that has all the hype and is off the charts. In order for the Spartans to reach higher, they will need their best effort against a fundamentally sound Iowa team. “That’s what we’re working for”. On Saturday, they will try and accomplish goal number two, winning the Big Ten. Michigan State won, 26-14, in 2013 in Iowa City, Iowa. They tend to further argue that meeting those expectations involves no small amount of pressure and that a coach’s ability to handle that pressure and still guide their teams to success should be measured when assessing coaching performances.

The Hawkeyes got a crash course in the Spartans’ defensive scheme September 19 in a 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh.

A big chunk of this year’s fifth-year seniors have been part of two trips to Indy, and that alone could be a plus for Michigan State.

The difference between a Hawkeye offense with a ground game and a Hawkeye offense without a ground game is incredible. But a mistake by Cook could be costly, as Iowa has 17 interceptions on the season.

“We kind of got a practice game, so at least it is not totally out of our minds”, said UI head coach Kirk Ferentz.

“We’ve been here before”, Dantonio said. The Iowa defense bent but didn’t break all afternoon as Nebraska racked up 433 yards and collected 22 first downs. “They’ll come after you, will be up, and ready to go”. The Spartans also draw more penalties than they take, with their opponents at 5.8 minutes a night compared to their 4.5. He has 8 interceptions, which is tied for the lead in the country.

VandeBerg has 59 receptions for 625 yards and three touchdowns, and is thrilled to be playing for a title contender.

And don’t forget who the Hawkeyes and Spartans are representing. Their power play is producing at a 16.67 percent clip, though their penalty killing is fantastic at 89.4 percent, good enough for ninth-best in the NCAA. “Fun to watch. But it’s more fun to be here, I can promise you that”. “You have to take those things into consideration when you’re getting ready”. It will be strength-on-strength in the trenches. This is a matchup of two very good teams, and two teams that match up very well.

I have a lot to say on these matters and will do so shortly on a podcast that will be live later tonight, plus an update to Big Ten bowl projections.