After months of anticipation, Week 1 of college football starts in the Midwest, where the Rams of Colorado State travel to Michigan to take on the eighth-ranked Wolverines. After their best season in what seems like decade, Michigan needs to show up as a huge home favorite. Here are the best bets and predictions for Saturday morning’s battle between Colorado State and Michigan.
Colorado State vs. Michigan Week 1 Betting Picks
Coming off a disappointing 3-9 record, the Rams hired Jay Norvell in hopes of turning around a program that hasn’t had a winning season in five years. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Michigan was 12-2 last season, with losses only to rival Michigan State and Georgia in the playoffs. The monkey is off their proverbial back after finally beating Ohio State, and despite losing a ton of talent, the future finally looks bright under Jim Harbaugh.
Michigan the Massive Favorite
The Wolverines opened as 27-point favorites against Norvell’s Rams, but that line has since been pushed all the way to 30.5, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it goes up even more by kickoff. The total is 61.5, and with J.J. McCarthy already announced as Michigan’s Week 2 starting quarterback, it’s all on Cade McNamara to prove he’s the guy Week 1. Harbaugh said both quarterbacks would see action in both games, McNamara needs to play well in this game. Facing a poor Colorado State defense, he’s in a great spot to shine.
The Wolverines return nine starters from an offense that led the Big Ten in yards rushing (3,001), was sixth in yards passing (3,202) and third in total yards (443). Michigan also scored 36 points per game, which ranked second in the conference last year. McNamara was solid if not spectacular, throwing for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and 6 interceptions across 14 starts.
There’s a lot to like about Michigan’s offense, as leading receiver Cornelius Johnson (627 yards, 3 touchdowns) returns and perhaps their best offensive player in Ronnie Bell is back after missing all but a few plays last season. One of those plays was a 79-yard touchdown reception on Michigan’s first drive of the season, and it’s safe to say his return should mean good things for an offense returning most of its offensive line and two stud tailbacks in Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.
Defensively speaking, there’s no doubt Michigan will feel the losses of Aidan Hutchinson and Chris Hinton, but this is a team loaded with four-star talent and Jesse Minter is in a good spot as he replaces Mike MacDonald as defensive coordinator. Minter is now working with much more talent than he ever had at Vanderbilt, and look for linebacker Junior Colson and defensive lineman Mazi Smith to lead this defense.
Colorado State a Bit of a Mystery
Despite the Rams returning six starters on both offense and defense, they are more of an unknown than Michigan. Colorado State will be relying on transfers a good bit this season, as not only do they have a makeshift offensive line, but starters quarterback Clay Millen and wide receivers Tory Horton and Melquan Stovall also followed their coach from Nevada to Colorado State. The Norvell hire is a good one for the Rams long term, but it’s tough to see how much of an impact he can make this week because Michigan outclasses them across the board.
Colorado State vs. Michigan Prediction
Simply put, the Wolverines should roll in this spot. The total of 30.5 is a lot points, however, and it looks like most of the value there is gone after being pushed up from 27. As of this writing, Michigan is getting 73% of the bets and 93% of the money. The total at 61.5, with the over getting 74% of the bets and 81% of the money. With Colorado State’s offense expected to struggle here, there’s a reasonable case to made for the under, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if the Rams turn the ball over a bunch, giving Michigan great field position the entire game. That said, with both McNamara and McCarthy expected to see action, it’s likely there will be some growing pains for the Wolverines offense. Colorado State is not expected to move the ball with any sort of authority, so the under is worth looking at even more as the total presumably grows before kick.
Best NCAAF Bet: Colorado State vs. Michigan UNDER 61.5
