Senior defensive end and captain Aidan Hutchinson finished second in the 2021 balloting for the Heisman Memorial Trophy, which was presented Dec. 11 in New York. Hutchinson is the 23rd Wolverine to finish in the top 12 of the balloting. Though he didn’t take that particular trophy, the Academic All-American has picked up quite a few others, including the 2021 Lott IMPACT trophy.

The Big Ten title is the Wolverines’ league-leading 43rd and the first since the conference switched to the two-division alignment in 2011. It was a decisive victory to be sure with Michigan beating Iowa 42-3.

The Wolverines reeled off four touchdowns in five drives for 28 unanswered points. No wonder they ran away with the Big Ten title.

The Michigan defense throttled the Hawkeyes throughout the game. They limited Iowa to a single field goal in three red-zone possessions, and allowed conversions on just five of 19 third downs throughout the game, and none in the fourth quarter.

The 42 points matched the jersey number 42 worn by Tate Myre, one of four victims of the tragic school shooting at nearby Oxford High School. The Wolverines wore multiple decals on their uniforms to honor the victims, and were joined on the field for the pregame coin toss by Myre’s family.

The 39-point margin of victory was the Wolverines’ most lopsided win over the Hawkeyes since a 63-7 victory in 1971.

The win over Iowa brought Michigan its first Big Ten championship in 17 years, and the team spent a lot of time in the endzone right off the bat. They capitalized on back-to-back explosive touchdown plays in the first quarter to jump out to a 14-0 lead.

Coach Jim Harbaugh led Michigan to a 12-1 record this season. Harbaugh recently was named AP Coach of the Year, alongside U-M Coach Juwan Howard, who earned the same honor for basketball.