Michigan heads into their second game without Jim Harbaugh as they face UNLV. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a UNLV-Michigan prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

UNLV started the Barry Odom era with a big win over Bryant. The fireworks started just seconds into the game. On the first offensive play from scrimmage, UNLV's Vincent Davis ran 69 yards for a touchdown. UNLV would add another ten points in the first quarter to give them a 17-0 lead in the game. Bryant tried to hold the ball a lot for the second quarter, but UNLV would still score on a 19-yard run from Doug Brumfield as time experienced in the half. In the second half, UNLY would add two more touchdowns and a field goal, as they defeated Bryan 44-14. They make a major step up in competition this week though. Bryant was a 4-7 team last year in FCS, and now they face the number two team in the nation.

Meanwhile, number two Michigan took care of business. It was a 30-3 win over East Carolina in their opener. Michigan moved the ball well in the first half, building a 23-0 lead at the half. Michigan would pull back in the second half, giving backups time to work and showing their depth. They would score just one more touchdown on the third touchdown pass from JJ McCarthy to Roman Wilson. As time experienced East Carolina did kick a field goal to avoid the shutout, but it was still a 30-3 win for the Wolverines.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: UNLV-Michigan Odds

UNLV: +37.5 (-110)

Michigan: -37.5 (-110)

Over: 56.5 (-115)

Under: 56.5 (-110)

How to Watch UNLV vs. Michigan

TV: CBS

Stream: CBS Sports APP

Time: 3:30 PM ET/ 12:30 PM PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why UNLV Will Cover The Spread

The running game for UNLB was solid. On 40 rushing attempts, they racked up 268 yards on the day. It started with Vincent Davis. He went for 79 yards on just three attempts in the game including a touchdown. He was elusive in his 69-yard touchdown run making two guys miss, and overall had 30 yards after first contact in the game. Meanwhile, Doug Brumfield, the quarterback was also good on the ground. He had three designed runs that netted him 56 yards and a score as well. All three of his runs went for over ten yards, while he also broke four tackles in the process.

Finally, Jai'Den Thomas went for 60 yards on eight attempts. He caused five missed tackles and had 33 yards after first contact. The run blocking was great as well, with the vantage point of contact for the runningbacks well past two yards downfield.

While Brumfield was solid on the ground, he needs to have a better passing day. In the game, he was just 11-818 with an interception. He threw for just 86 yards with his average yards per attempt at 4.8 yards, and his average depth of target was 7.5 yards downfield. He was not pressured much, being pressured just three times in the game, and taking one sack. Still, his accuracy was sub-par and he could have been intercepted another time if the defensive back had gotten his hands around the ball.

The defense for UNLV had a solid game but also has some room for improvement. Overall, the defense had 19 quarterbacks pressured, and while they hit the quarterback seven times, they came away with just one sack. The other issue is that five of the pressures came from the slot corner Jerrae Williams. Those were off-disguised blitzes that will most likely not work against Michigan. He was also the only one with a sack in the game. UNLV also missed ten tackles in the game. Doing that against Blake Corum or Donavan Edwards will lead to big plays, and cannot happen in this game. All of these issues are fixable though, and need to be fixed going into this week.

Why Michigan Will Cover The Spread

Covering the spread will start with JJ McCarthy. He was amazing in the first game, at one point completing over a dozen straight passes. On the game, he was 26-30 for 280 yards and three scored. He made three perfect deep throws in the game and was extremely accurate. This is a huge improvement for him from last year, as at times he struggled with accuracy during the 2022 season. Further, McCarthy did not throw any turnover-worthy passes and was protected well. He was pressured just six times in the game and was able to get a pass off in all six of those situations.

Receiving a lot of those passes was Roman Wilson. Wilson caught six of the eight balls thrown his way while taking in 78 yards and three scores. He was the deep threat and the out threat for Michigan. His average depth of target was 14.5 yards down the field, while he had just one yard after the catch. Meanwhile, Cornelius Johnson also had a good game on the outside at wide receiver. He caught five of the six balls thrown his way for 71 yards. The major yards after the catch came from Donovan Edwards. Edwards averaged 8.3 yards per reception on four catches coming out of the backfield. Still, his average depth of target was 1.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, as he was able to take the short screens for good yardage in the game.

Finally, the Michigan defense was solid. They had 19 stops for offensive failure in the game while also breaking up three passes and forcing an interception. They did get solid pressure on the quarterback. Getting 18 pressures on just 27 pass attempts. Still, they need to work on getting home in this game. They did not have a sack against ECU.

Final UNLV-Michigan Prediction & Pick

Michigan has all the tools to easily cover this spread. Their offense is full of weapons. They could just run the ball with Corum and Edwards over and over and cover the spread. Add in JJ McCarthy, and it should be an easy cover. Last week was the same way though. They did win by 27, but they were very conservative in the second half. That could be more of the same in this game. With another easier opponent next week against Bowling Green, expect Michigan to play conservatively. Take UNLV with the points in this one.

Final UNLV-Michigan Prediction & Pick: UNLV +37.5 (-110)