Week 2 Odds for Michigan and Michigan State

The first week of the college football season is closing today and the second week is nearing. Here is a look at the odds for Michigan and Michigan State this week.

Michigan State –18.5 vs. South Florida

The Spartans remain in East Lansing to host South Florida this upcoming Saturday. Michigan State is coming off its 26-13 win over Western Michigan where the offense struggled and the defense looked strong. South Florida, on the other hand, looked awful, as the Bulls were hammered at home by McNeese State, 53-21. The Bulls gave up 424 yards of offense to McNeese State while amassing just 342 yards. One would think that the Spartans will be able to move the ball better against the Bulls and South Florida should struggle to move the ball against the MSU defense. The 18.5-point spread wouldn’t be much for MSU to cover, but the offense didn’t give us much faith that it can put up points.

Michigan -3 vs. Notre Dame

Michigan looked good in its 59-9 win over Central Michigan, but the Wolverines can play better. Notre Dame had a 28-6 win over Temple at home on Saturday in which the Fighting Irish amassed 543 yards of offense. Notre Dame gave up 362 yards of offense to Temple, so there is a sense that Michigan can move the ball against the Irish. The question will be can Devin Gardner make the key throws and avoid turnovers? Turnovers destroyed Michigan’s chances of beating Notre Dame last season and could tell the tale of this game. The Michigan defense will be tested by Notre Dame’s offense, but don’t look for the Irish to pile up 500 yards against the Wolverines. As the spread indicates, this should be a close game.

Week 1 Odds for Michigan State and Michigan

Kickoff week has officially arrived. Both Michigan and Michigan State face in-state opponents this week to start the season. Here is a look at the odds for both games:

Michigan State -27 vs. Western Michigan

The Spartans kickoff the season at home against the Broncos on Friday night at 8 p.m. MSU has done pretty well against the Mid-American Conference the past few seasons, beating Central Michigan 41-7 in 2012, Central 45-7 in 2011 and Western Michigan 38-14 in 2010. I have plenty of doubts about how strong the MSU offense will be, but I do think the Spartans will look good on offense against the Broncos. Western Michigan is breaking in a lot of new parts, including a new head coach. It will take some time for all pieces to come together for the Broncos. Also, the Michigan State defense will probably be very stingy this season, so I can see WMU struggling to score points. In the end, 27 points is a lot to cover, but I think the Spartans will be able to do it in this instance.

Michigan -31.5 vs. Central Michigan

The Wolverines will host the Chippewas for their first meeting since 2006 on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Michigan has plenty of buzz coming into the season with Devin Gardner firmly planted as the team’s starting quarterback. The Michigan offense shouldn’t have too much trouble moving the ball on the Chippewas, who allowed 432 yards per game last season. Central Michigan will probably have its own problems on offense as well, as it breaks in a first-time starter in the Big House. While the Chippewas have a talented group of running backs, they no longer have Eric Fisher at left tackle to anchor the offensive line. Michigan should win comfortably, but the question is, can they win by at least 32 points? The Wolverines come into the game 5-1 against the spread in their last 6 games against MAC opponents, but CMU comes into the game 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games against the Big Ten. If Michigan is going to cover, it is going to need at least one defensive or special teams touchdowns, which is entirely possible.