Is this the week Kyle Whittingham suffers his first loss at Michigan?

Is this the week Kyle Whittingham suffers his first loss at Michigan?

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Is this the week Kyle Whittingham suffers his first loss at Michigan?

Is this the week Kyle Whittingham suffers his first loss at Michigan? originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Through the first two weeks of the season, the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines are undefeated, or at least that is what their record shows.

They face the 17th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday where they will meet their long-awaited fate. Their week one matchup against Western Michigan ended in the most controversial way imaginable.

That game came down to a Hail Mary by Bryce Underwood after one final second was miraculously added back to the clock for an additional play in the game. Michigan scored on the final play and was awarded a win. In the following days, the NCAA released a statement saying the officials got it wrong and did not follow proper procedure. However, the result can't be modified.

Underwood's only touchdown pass came from that play. He has not been an elite pass thrower thus far in his collegiate career. This season, it took him three weeks to throw over 200 yards, and it was against an inferior UTEP squad. In that game, the final score does tell the story of the game. Michigan held a slim 17-14 lead at halftime before finally pulling away.

They have started every game in a similar fashion. Against Oklahoma, it was Michigan's defense that led the way to victory. Iowa will not spare the Wolverines. The Hawkeyes have the top-ranked defense in the nation. They allow only 4.3 points per game and have not allowed a rushing touchdown through three games.

MORE:Ole Miss football made a leap, but LSU wasn't their 'Super Bowl'

Underwood ran up and down the field in the first two weeks of the season. The Hawkeyes surrendered the fewest yards per game with 176.7 yards allowed. Through the air, they allow an opponent completion percentage of 48.7%. Michigan only averages 175.7 passing yards per game, scary. Underwood and the struggling offense will have their hands tied against a stout defense.

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham has a history of botching games against ranked opponents during his time at Utah. When facing opponents in the AP Top 25, Whittingham's record is 25-40. In big-time games, his team has a track record of being unprepared and not ready for the moment.

This season, the Wolverines have looked a step slower than their unranked opponents despite their undefeated record. This time around, they are not the better team or expected to win. The referees can't help them this time around if they fall too far behind either. 

The big test comes with No. 17 Iowa traveling to Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be nationally televised on CBS.

MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS:

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos