Had Cade McNamara been healthy all season long, there is a chance the Iowa Hawkeyes would not have the worst college offense we have ever seen out of a division champion. Iowa's offense with Deacon Hill filling in for McNamara has been utterly listless to put it nicely. The Hawkeyes went 10-2 this season, based primarily on its defense, special teams and playing in the laughable Big Ten West.
While it remains to be seen what becomes of McNamara, and the Iowa football program as a whole, after the Big Ten Championship Game, we should remember that he played for Michigan only a year ago. He left Ann Arbor for Iowa City after losing the starting job to J.J. McCarthy a season ago. McNamara famously guided the Wolverines to their first College Football Playoff berth back in 2021.
When asked about what he is doing to help the Iowa get ready for the Big Ten Championship Game, here is what McNamara said while appearing on Talkin' Hawks with The VandeBergs earlier this week.
"I think this weekend specifically, I'm not just getting Deacon ready. I'm getting the entire team as much as I can, because I know so much about that other team. From a defensive standpoint, from an offensive standpoint, I'm just doing everything I possibly can from an entire team standpoint to let these guys know everything that I possibly know."
Iowa is at a massive talent disadvantage entering this game offensively, but McNamara has the intel.
Here is the entire interview McNamara had while appearing on Talkin' Hawks with The VandeBergs.
Even if McNamara gave Hill all the answers on the test, Iowa will need a miracle to win in Indianapolis.
Cade McNamara is one advantage Iowa has over Michigan in Indianapolis
Because Iowa upsetting Michigan would be the most unlikely outcome of the five Power Five championship games being played out this upcoming weekend, it would only add to the hilarity of the Hawkeyes pulling off such a monumental upset. This has everything to do with how truly pitiful the Iowa offense has been for years under Brian Ferentz's watch, which resulted in his future termination.
The only way Iowa wins this game is if Michigan turns the ball over four times in the first half, Iowa scores two touchdowns off said turnovers and then the Hawkeyes proceed to sit on the football throughout the entirety of the second half. Only the Appalachian State defeat would be a worse loss in the history of Michigan football than this theoretical one. Too bad this one is not going to happen...
This is why we can almost guarantee that Michigan will be one of the four teams making the final four-team College Football Playoff. Every other team that is still alive for it has to play a far more worthy adversary than Michigan does with Iowa. However, a heartbreaking loss to Iowa in Indianapolis would, and should, completely knock Michigan out of the playoff picture. It would be a soul-crushing defeat.
McNamara may be able to help Hill prepare for this conference title bout, but this one could get ugly.
