The undefeated Michigan Wolverines travel to Memorial Stadium to play the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday night. Michigan is off to its best start in five years, coming off a 38-17 victory against Wisconsin. As for Nebraska, they just hammered Northwestern 56-7 last week to improve their record to .500 on the season. With that said, it's time to continue our college football odds series and make a Michigan-Nebraska prediction and pick.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the odds.
College Football Odds: Michigan-Nebraska Odds
Michigan: -3 (-108)
Nebraska: +3 (-112)
Over: 49.5 (-110)
Under: 49.5 (-110)
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Why Michigan Could Cover The Spread
The Michigan Wolverines are undefeated and find themselves off to one of their best starts in recent years after a 2020 season that raised serious questions about the program. They have turned things around this season, holding the eighth-best scoring offense with 39.8 points per game and the fifth-best scoring defense with 12.8 points per game allowed. The offense is dependent on the running game, with the Wolverines running the ball 70.46% of the time and averaging 255 yards per game. Blake Corum has a team-high 521 rushing yards with seven touchdowns, while Hassan Haskins has rushed for 369 yards and six scores.
Defensively, Michigan has been elite, holding opponents to just under two touchdowns per game. They rank 38th nationally in sacks per game and surrender 284.6 yards to opponents, ranking ninth in FBS. Nebraska has yet to face a defense nearly as athletic and dominant as Michigan's group and will have trouble moving the ball downfield. Michigan is 4-1 against the spread in five games this season.
Why Nebraska Could Cover The Spread
In last week's win, Nebraska racked up 56 points on what used to be a solid defense for Northwestern. Offensively, the Cornhuskers totaled 657 yards, with 427 rushing yards on 28 first downs. The Cornhuskers dominated Northwestern and showed some pride after losing back-to-back games on the road. Granted, the two road losses were to excellent teams in Oklahoma and Michigan State.
Quarterback Adrian Martinez has a team-high 1,463 passing yards with six touchdowns while rushing for 412 yards and nine touchdowns. Like Michigan, the Nebraska offense puts a heavy emphasis on the run game, ranking seventh nationally in rush attempts per game.
Nebraska's defense ranks 15th in the nation in opponent points per game (17.2). In three home wins so far this season, the Cornhuskers allowed only 5.6 points per gam to opponents. They seem to feed off the boisterous crowd when playing at home. Nebraska is 4-0-1 against the spread in the last five games overall and 3-0-1 against the spread in the previous four games against a team with a winning record.
Final Michigan-Nebraska Prediction & Pick
Nebraska has played much better over the last few games, but they're hosting one of the hottest teams in college football. Michigan's running back tandem will attack the Cornhuskers' front line and control the clock. I don't believe Adrian Martinez will have enough help against this Wolverine defensive unit, either. The ground attack for Michigan will be the key to winning this matchup. In games that Michigan totals over 322 yards, the team is 4-0 against the spread. Given the low line, I would back the Wolverines to cover the spread and win the game by at least a touchdown.
Final Pick: Michigan -3 (-108)
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