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The Michigan Wolverines take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Check out our college football odds series for our Michigan Rutgers prediction and pick.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights face an uphill battle in the pursuit of a bowl bid. They are 4-4, and they need to win two of their remaining four games. Since one of those games is this Saturday's game against Michigan, that narrows the Scarlet Knights' margins. Rutgers also has to play Penn State, another game in which RU will be a clear underdog. This means that if Rutgers can't win at Michigan State and at Maryland, it will miss a bowl. So, an upset of Michigan would relieve the Knights of the need to win both road games. They could merely split if they can beat the Wolverines here in Week 10.
Rutgers has to show it can score against good defenses. It was contained by Ohio State and Iowa. It couldn't even score big in a home game it lost to Nebraska, 14-13. Coach Greg Schiano needs to find plays which can generate big gains and quick strikes. Rutgers is not built to produce 13-play, 80-yard drives against Michigan or other top defenses. The Knights need the home-run play and have to get to the chalkboard to see what works for them.
Michigan is solid and dependable this year under Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines don't look amazing, but they look good, and they are taking advantage of a Big Ten which is — to be brutally honest — very weak this year. Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern, and Penn State have all had better teams over the previous five years. There simply is not a lot of quality depth in the conference, which has Michigan in a position where it is very likely to enter the season-ending Ohio State game 11-0 (against a Buckeye team also likely to be 11-0).
Michigan doesn't need its very best brand of football to beat Rutgers, but the Wolverines do need quarterback J.J. McCarthy to play at a higher level so that when the Wolverines do face Ohio State, they will have momentum and sharpness. Michigan has had problems finishing drives this season. McCarthy's decision-making has not been relentlessly consistent. He needs to improve for this team to reach its potential.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Michigan-Rutgers College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Michigan-Rutgers Odds
Michigan Wolverines: -25.5 (-110)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: +25.5 (-110)
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Over: 44.5 (-112)
Under: 44.5 (-108)
Why Michigan Could Cover the Spread
Michigan is vastly superior to Rutgers in the trenches. This game is a mismatch at the line of scrimmage. More specifically, Rutgers' frail and impotent offense is almost certain to be stuffed by Michigan's defense. If Rutgers scores only six or seven points, Michigan should be able to score in the mid-30s and cover the spread.
Why Rutgers Could Cover the Spread
Michigan is a good team, but not a great team. The Wolverines go through 10- or 15-minute sequences in games when they aren't sharp and don't make the right decisions, especially on offense. As long as Michigan has another 15-minute lull in this game, Rutgers can use that chunk of time to draw Michigan into an ugly slugfest where it can cover what is a very large spread.
Final Michigan-Rutgers Prediction & Pick
Michigan will demolish Rutgers. The Wolverines don't need to be fancy or complicated. They can simply bulldoze the Knights and overwhelm them.
Final Michigan-Rutgers Prediction & Pick: Michigan -25.5
