After a couple of weeks of some great college football, most of us anticipated no fireworks last weekend. However, we certainly got them, and it included a look at college football’s new overtime rules, and I am all in on them. This weekend, we start the Big Ten gauntlet of big games. Which includes a tough college football betting matchup of Michigan vs Michigan State.
Let’s take a look at the Michigan vs Michigan State matchup, including college football betting odds and a prediction.
Michigan vs Michigan State College Football Betting Odds and Prediction
No. 6 Michigan (7-0) vs No. 8 Michigan State (7-0)
Date: Saturday, October 30th, 2021
Time: Noon ET
Location: Spartan Stadium — East Lansing, MI
Michigan vs Michigan State College Football Betting Odds
College football betting odds for Penn State vs Iowa are taken from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Spread: MICH -4 (-105) | MSU +4 (-115)
Moneyline: MICH (-185) | MSU (+160)
Total: 50 — Over (-115) | Under (-105)
What to Watch For Michigan Football
The Wolverines are off to their best start under Jim Harbaugh since 2016. The Wolverines will be looking to destroy the Spartans and prove to the country they are for real. On the offensive side of the ball, Harbaugh uses a two-running back system, with Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins. Both players have already rushed for over 600 yards this season and have 10 rushing touchdowns each. Quarterback Cade McNamara will look to be a steady game manager who doesn’t make mistakes. On defense, the Wolverines are led by Aidan Hutchingson, who will likely be a top-five pick in next year’s draft. Hutchingson already has five sacks on the year and should get a lot more. Safety Daxton Hill and linebacker Josh Ross are the vocal leaders on the defense.
Overall, I would think the Wolverines would like to score and get up early in this game on Saturday afternoon. By getting an early lead, they will be able to use Corum and Haskins to run down the clock, and keep Kenneth Walker III off the field. I would also expect to see a lot of freshman J.J. McCarthy this weekend. He’s played in spot situations this year, but with Michigan State this weekend, using McCarthy might be a huge advantage. Simply because, the Spartans will likely not game plan for him.
What to Watch For Michigan State Football
Mel Tucker has the Spartans rolling early in this 2021 college football season. After a disappointing campaign last year, Tucker brought in over 20 transfers to help re-shape the culture of the school. Well, whatever he did, it seems to have worked, considering the Spartans are 7-0 this season. This weekend will be their first true test when they take on state rivals, Michigan. It’s fairly obvious to say, but running back Kenneth Walker III needs to have a good game for the Spartans to win. Next to Walker, signal-caller Payton Thorne has had a great year thus far, throwing for 15 touchdowns and only four interceptions. If he can keep the turnovers down, and let Walker do the work, they have a real shot to down “big brother” again.
A Mel Tucker-led team should have a good defense, and the Spartans do. Xavier Henderson, a safety, is one of the vocal leaders on the defensive side of the ball. He has 60 tackles on the year, which is incredibly impressive for a safety. Up front Jacub Panasiuk and Jeff Pietrowski have combined for nine sacks on the year. If those two can put McNamara on the ground a couple of times, they will have a good shot to pull off the upset.
Prediction
These two teams are so eerily similar; it’s going to be hard to pick a winner. I think both rushing attacks are capable of having big games on Saturday night. However, in a big game, you need a guy like Kenneth Walker III to close out the game. If the Spartans play mostly mistake-free football, they should get past Michigan. However, I’m sure Harbaugh has some tricks up his sleeve. Either way, give me the home underdog and the points.
Pick: Michigan State 27, Michigan 23 (MSU +4)
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