(WXYZ) — The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines have won their third straight Big Ten title and are likely headed to the College Football Playoff for the third straight year.
The Wolverines beat No. 16 Iowa 26-0 in the Big Ten Championship.
Michigan's defense stood strong throughout the game, and while Michigan's offense struggled against Iowa's defense, the Wolverines were able to get on the board thanks to turnovers and special teams.
The Wolverines got on the board first with a field goal and then Blake Corum added a touchdown late in the first quarter. Both teams traded punts throughout the second quarter and the game stayed 10-0 going into halftime.
After Michigan failed to score again to start the third quarter, the defense forced a fumble close to Iowa's endzone, and Corum ended up rushing a 6-yard touchdown to put Michigan up 17-0.
That touchdown was Corum's 55th of his Michigan career, tying the all-time rushing touchdown record for Michigan along with Anthony Thomas.
The Wolverines' defense continued to stand strong, forcing punts and getting Iowa to turn it over on downs, and James Turner kicked a 46-yard field goal to give Michigan a 20-0 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The defense forced its third fumble of the game, giving Michigan the ball in Iowa territory once again, but the Wolverines settled for another Turner kick to go up 23-0.
The final College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Sunday afternoon, and there's a chance the Wolverines will move up to the No. 1 spot. The top seed gets to pick the site they want to play at for the semifinal game.
However, No. 3 Washington did win the PAC-12 Championship over No. 5 Oregon, which was their second win over the Ducks this season and they also finished the season 13-0.
This year's sites will be the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
Michigan's past two trips to the College Football Playoff have not gone well. No. 3 Georgia beat No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in 2021-22 and No. 3 TCU beat No. 2 Michigan 51-45 last year.
