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Michigan football to finish forgettable 2020 season with difficult matchup at Iowa

Wolverines to face second-place Hawkeyes despite finishing sixth in East Division

Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines reacts in the second half while playing the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium on November 28, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus, 2020 Getty Images)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The 2020 season has been disastrous for the Michigan football team, losing four of six games and watching the foundation created by Jim Harbaugh the last half-decade begin to crumble.

So it’s only fitting that the Big Ten throw some extra salt in the wound, forcing the woefully undermanned Wolverines into the fire with a “Champions Week” matchup against Iowa.

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When the Big Ten announced there would be a “Champions Week” on the same day as the conference title game, teams were supposed to play the opponent that finished in the same position in the other division. The second place team in the East would play the second place team in the West, and so on.

Well, Michigan, the sixth place team in the East, will play against Iowa, the No. 2 team in the West.

On the road. At night. In Kinnick Stadium.

Yeah, that should go well.

The Hawkeyes didn’t win the West Division, but they sure look like the best team. Since starting the season with back-to-back losses by a combined five points -- including a blown 17-0 lead against Northwestern that decided the division title -- Iowa is 6-0 with five victories by at least 14 points.

MORE: Warde Manuel slams Kirk Herbstreit for suggesting Michigan shut down over fear of Ohio State game

Last week, the Hawkeyes dismantled Wisconsin, 28-7. That’s the same Wisconsin team that beat Michigan by 38 points.

Will Michigan have enough players to even participate? That remains to be seen. The Maryland and Ohio State games were both canceled because the Wolverines were without dozens of players due to COVID-19, contact tracing and other injuries.

Even if Michigan does play, it could be without its top two quarterbacks and most of its key defensive pieces.

While Ohio State and Northwestern play for the Big Ten title, the rest of the “Champions Week” matchups look like this:

  • Nebraska (7th in West) at Rutgers (5th in East)
  • Purdue (5th in West) at Indiana (2nd in East)
  • Minnesota (3rd in West) at Wisconsin (4th in West)
  • Illinois (6th in West) at Penn State (4th in East)
  • Michigan State (7th in East) at Maryland (3rd in East)

About the Author
Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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