Michigan vs. Iowa score, takeaways: No. 2 Wolverines win first Big Ten title since 2004, clinch playoff berth

Michigan dominated Iowa from start to finish on Saturday to clinch the Big Ten Conference crown

No. 2 Michigan won its first Big Ten title since 2004 and 43rd in program history on Saturday, and with the victory locked up its spot in the College Football Playoff field. The Wolverines routed No. 13 Iowa 42-3 in the Big Ten Championship Game, leaving little doubt who the best team in the conference is this season. 

After a three-and-out in their first possession, the Wolverines struck quickly with a 67-yard touchdown run on their next drive. They then tacked on a 75-yard touchdown pass on their third to take a 14-0 lead and never looked back. There was no one star on the Michigan offense in the conference title win, but instead, the team used a group effort. 

Cade McNamara threw for 169 yards and a touchdown, but the biggest pass of the game came from running back Donovan Edwards when he hit Roman Wilson for a 75-yard touchdown. Blake Corum led the team in rushing with 74 yards with the bulk coming on his 67-yard scoring run, but Hassan Haskins had 17 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Haskins' two scores gave him 20 on the season, a new single-season record for the Wolverines. 

Defensively, the Wolverines held the Hawkeyes to only 279 yards of offense and 3.9 yards per play. Star pass rushers Aidan Hutchinson -- who became the first defensive player to earn the Big Ten Championship Game MVP honor -- and David Ojabo combined for only six tackles and a sack but helped keep the Hawkeyes out of the end zone.

This win gives Michigan wins over top-15 teams in consecutive games for the first time since the 2003 season, and its first conference title since 2004 when it split the Big Ten with Iowa. 

1. No emotional letdown for the Wolverines

There had been plenty of concern about the Wolverines coming off a 42-27 win over Ohio State last week. The thought process was that Michigan had been building all season long for the Ohio State game, and now that it had won it, the Wolverines might relax thinking they had accomplished their mission.

That did not happen. While the Wolverines went three-and-out on their first possession, they struck quickly with two big-play touchdowns in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead and set the tone. You have to give the Michigan coaching staff and the players a lot of credit for not falling into the trap and realizing there was still work left to do.

2. Michigan's 43rd Big Ten title in school history

That's the most of any Big Ten school, and four more than Ohio State's 39. Of course, Ohio State fans will quickly point out that the Buckeyes have won 24 outright Big Ten titles, while this is only the 17th time the Wolverines have won the conference outright.

Thankfully, we have conference championship games these days and don't have to worry about the silly concept of co-champions anymore.

3. Michigan will likely face Georgia in CFP

There doesn't seem to be much drama heading into Sunday's College Football Playoff selection show with this win. With Alabama beating Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and Cincinnati taking care of business in the AAC Championship Game, your four playoff teams will be Alabama, Georgia, Cincinnati and Michigan. The only question is where the teams will be ranked. But based on what the committee has done this season and a presumable desire to avoid an immediate rematch, Alabama will likely be at No. 1. Then Michigan and Georgia will take up the next two spots, and it doesn't matter which is ranked where.

4. Dominant if uneven performance by the Wolverines

It's hard to say a win is anything but dominant when the final score is 42-3, but it was a 21-point fourth quarter that made the game look a lot more out of hand than it truly was -- not that you ever got the sense the Hawkeyes were going to win the game. Still, aside from the two big touchdown plays in the first half, the Michigan offense struggled to put together long drives against the Iowa defense. From late in the first quarter until halftime, Michigan had five offensive possessions that lasted only 23 plays, covered 85 yards and ended with three punts and two interceptions (though the second interception was on a Hail Mary to end the half).

Things changed in the second half. Michigan's best drive of the night was its 10-play, 82-yard touchdown drive to start the third quarter. That put the Wolverines ahead 21-3 and sealed the game for good. The Wolverines would put together one more long touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, but two of its three fourth-quarter touchdowns started at the Iowa 36 following a blocked punt and an interception.

Now, this is picking nits for sure, but the Wolverines are off to the playoff now. They can't afford to go to sleep on offense for an entire quarter and expect to win against the teams they'll be facing.

5. All of Iowa's deficiencies were on display

This was a terrible matchup for the Hawkeyes. They're a team that relies on defense and special teams to keep it in games and hopes to take advantage of its opponent's mistakes. If that fails, it tries to be the more physical team. Michigan is built much the same way, but with an offense and more talent.

Iowa's defense did just about everything that could've been asked of it tonight, but it received no help. The Hawkeyes offense was abysmal. It picked up only 270 yards of offense, and its three most impressive drives resulted in three points. Iowa had a 10-play, 59-yard drive to open the game end with a missed field goal, a 10-play 71-yard drive that led to a field goal and a 14-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a turnover on downs.

Iowa gained fewer than 20 yards on nine of its 13 possessions.

A 10-3 regular season and an appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game is a successful season for the Hawkeyes no matter how you cut it, but this game was also an excellent reminder of the gap between this program and the elite of the conference. If Iowa wants to take the next step, it needs to find a more reliable quarterback. 

[Dec 4, 2021 at 8:40 pm ET · Tom Fornelli]

FINAL SCORE: Michigan 42, Iowa 3

[Dec 4, 2021 at 11:27 pm ET · Tom Fornelli]

TOUCHDOWN MICHIGAN: Cade McNamara hits Erick All for a five yard touchdown to finish off an 8-play, 81-yard touchdown drive. It's 35-3.

[Dec 4, 2021 at 11:18 pm ET · Tom Fornelli]

IOWA IS PUNTING DOWN 25 POINTS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER ON 4TH AND 5: Honestly, what else do I need to say?

[Dec 4, 2021 at 11:10 pm ET · Tom Fornelli]

TOUCHDOWN MICHIGAN: The Wolverines waste little time taking advantage of the blocked punt. It's a quick, four-play, 36-yard touchdown drive finished by a one-yard touchdown run by Hassan Haskins. That gives Haskins 20 rushing touchdowns on the season, a new single-season record for the Wolverines. It's 28-3.

[Dec 4, 2021 at 11:04 pm ET · Tom Fornelli]

BLOCKED PUNT: Iowa manages to pick up a first down to open its possession, but gets nothing else. The team's seventh punt of the night is then blocked, and now Michigan will start at the Iowa 36. The Wolverines are going to be your Big Ten champions.

[Dec 4, 2021 at 10:50 pm ET · Tom Fornelli]

Iowa has run 23 plays in Michigan territory and has 3 points to show for it.

[Dec 4, 2021 at 10:49 pm ET · Tom Fornelli]

TURNOVER ON DOWNS: Man, that's a killer. The Hawkeyes drive 60 yards in 14 plays, but stall in the red zone again. This time, instead of settling for a field goal attempt, the Hawkeyes go for it on 4th and 3 but nobody can get open and Alex Padilla's pass to Tyler Goodson is stopped well short of the sticks. I think think that's your game.

[Dec 4, 2021 at 10:45 pm ET · Tom Fornelli]

Iowa going side to side with the offense here, and it's working. This is their best drive since the first quarter.