Iowa vs. Michigan Big Ten football championship game Fun Facts

1. Iowa is 43-16, Michigan 40-17 over the last five seasons.

2. Jim Harbaugh was Michigan’s quarterback and Kirk Ferentz was Iowa’s offensive line coach when the No. 1 Hawkeyes defeated the No. 2 Wolverines 12-10 in Iowa City 36 years ago.

3. Harbaugh lived in Iowa City as a boy when his father, Jack Harbaugh, was an assistant coach at Iowa from 1971-1973. Ferentz was born in Royal Oak, Mich., 44 miles from Ann Arbor.

4. Michigan has allowed 206 points, Iowa 207. The Wolverines have scored 448, the Hawkeyes 308.

5. Michigan is ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, its highest spot since it was No. 2 in 2016. That’s what it was ranked when it lost at Iowa, 14-13. That’s also the last time Iowa played a team ranked as high as No. 2.

6. The Hawkeyes have won their last six games against ranked opponents, three of them this season. None of those three (Indiana, Iowa State, Penn State) are ranked today. Iowa didn’t play Michigan, Ohio State or Michigan State. They are the three Big Ten teams ranked ahead of the No. 15 Hawkeyes.

7. Iowa is first nationally in interceptions, third in takeaways and turnover margin, tied for third in fewest penalties per game, tied for sixth in defensive touchdowns, and ninth in scoring defense.

8. Michigan is first nationally in kickoff return defense and fewest tackles for losses allowed, tied for third in fewest sacks allowed, sixth in net punting, eighth in scoring defense, ninth in rushing, and tied for 10th in red zone offense.

9. Wolverine running backs Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum have combined to rush for 2,097 yards and 28 touchdowns.

10. Iowa’s Tyler Goodson is averaging 122 yards and 5.5 per carry over the last four games after averaging 76.6 yards and 4.2 per carry over the first eight.

11. Michigan kicker Jake Moody has made 22 of 24 field goals, and is a Lou Groza Award finalist. He has made four field goals from 40 yards or longer. Iowa kicker Caleb Shudak has made 22 of 25 field goals. He is not a Groza finalist. Eleven of his successful kicks were from 40 yards or longer, and two of his misses were from 50-plus yards, including one from 57.

12. Since the Big Ten’s divisions were switched to East and West, the East is 7-0 in the championship game. Iowa opened as a 10.5-point underdog. The three previous West champs were underdogs by 14 to 18 points.

13. Iowa needs one more interception to tie its school record of 23 (1986, 1987, 2008). Hawkeye cornerback Riley Moss has four picks in nine games played, tying him with Boston College’s Brandon Sebastian for the national lead in INTs per game. Iowa safety Dane Belton has five interceptions, tying him with eight others for the national lead.

14. Belton is from Belleville, Mich., 18 miles from Ann Arbor.

15. The two starting quarterbacks in this game, Spencer Petras of Iowa and Michigan’s Cade McNamara, are from California and Nevada.

16. This is Iowa’s sixth 10-win regular season. It is Michigan’s 22nd.

17. Iowa opened as a 10.5-point underdog, the fourth-straight year the West champ has been a double-digit dog. Ohio State was favored by 14 points over Northwestern in 2018, by 15 over Wisconsin in 2019, and by 18 over Northwestern last year.

18. Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of this game, will host the College Football Playoff championship next Jan. 10. It hosted the 2021 Big Ten men’s basketball tournament and the 2021 NCAA Division I men’s Final Four.

19. Lucas Oil Speedway is located in Wheatland, Mo.

20. Indianapolis is nicknamed Naptown. The city has a Naptown Vapors, Naptown Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Boxing, Naptown Bait and Tackle, and Naptown Roller Derby.