Michigan Vs. MSU Odds: Wolverines Heavy Favorites Against Rival Spartans

The opening week of Big Ten Football left very different feelings for Michigan and Michigan State.

The Wolverines are riding high after an impressive road win, while the Spartans can’t get much lower after a loss at home to Rutgers.

Now the two meet in their annual rivalry game this Saturday at noon ET (Fox) from Michigan Stadium. Will the Wolverines overwhelm the Spartans?

Oddsmakers expect a blowout in Ann Arbor

After last weekend’s performances, oddsmakers are expecting more of the same on Saturday.

Michigan finds itself as the heavy favorite across the board, with oddsmakers ranging the Wolverines anywhere from a 24.5-point to 25.5-point favorite. (Odds updated as of 10 a.m. ET Oct. 29.)

Michigan State at Michigan Week 9 odds	BetMGM	DraftKings	FanDuel	PointsBet	William Hill
Point spread (-110 juice unless noted)	MSU +24.5 U-M -24.5	MSU +24.5 U-M -24.5	MSU +24.5 U-M -24.5	MSU +24.5 U-M -24.5	MSU +24.5 U-M -24.5
Moneyline	MSU +950 U-M -2000	MSU +1300 U-M -5000	MSU +1200 U-M -3500	MSU +1150 U-M -2151	MSU +1200 U-M -2400
Total points (-110 juice unless noted)	O 51.5 U 51.5	O 52 U 52	O 51.5 -112 U 51.5 -108	O 52 U 52	O 52 U 52

The moneylines are quite drastic for this game. Michigan has little value in this department, listed anywhere from -2400 to -10000 depending on the sportsbook.

If Michigan sports betting fans are looking for a big payday, MSU has long odds on the moneyline. The Spartans range from +1150 to +1600.

When it comes to the over/under, 54.5 points is the number across the board with some slight variance in the juice depending on the oddsmakers.

Michigan has regained control of the rivalry

Bragging rights in this rivalry have been important to Michigan.

The Wolverines had lost seven of eight to their “Little Brother” from 2008-15, but Michigan has won three of the last four and the last two against the Spartans.

The last two years have seen Michigan win by double figures, including a 44-10 victory last year in Ann Arbor.

All-time, Michigan has a 71-36-5 advantage against Michigan State.

Along with the wins, Michigan has covered the spread in the two victories against MSU. Those covers snapped an 8-game cover streak for Michigan State against the Wolverines.

The public bettors feel confident with the Wolverines. Michigan is getting 61% of the wagers as of this writing.

Wolverines run over Minnesota

Michigan jumped up to 13th in the latest AP rankings following its 49-24 win at Minnesota last Saturday.

While the Gophers were without key special teams players and some offensive linemen, Michigan still looked impressive.

The Wolverines put up 478 yards of offense in the win, including 256 rushing yards.

Joe Milton shined in his first start at quarterback. Milton threw for 225 yards and a TD on 15 of 22 passing. He also rushed for 52 yards on eight carries.

Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet combined for 152 rushing yards and three scores on just 10 carries, as the Michigan offensive line dominated Minnesota up front.

Defensively, U-M took advantage of Minnesota’s weakened offensive line by racking up five sacks and eight tackles for loss. Kwity Paye led the way with a pair of sacks and four tackles.

Michigan limited Minnesota to 3.1 yards per rushing attempt.

Turnovers plague MSU in loss to Rutgers

Mel Tucker couldn’t have asked for much worse of a coaching debut on Saturday.

His Spartans had seven turnovers and allowed Rutgers to snap a 21-game losing streak in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights topped MSU, 38-27.

A pair of early turnovers putt the Spartans down 14-0 midway through the first quarter and MSU never held a lead. State actually outgained Rutgers 369-276, but the turnovers were too much to overcome.

Despite a new head coach, Michigan State continued to turn to the run game often, but the Spartans couldn’t muster much on the ground. They had just 50 yards on 39 attempts against Rutgers. The Knights had 12 tackles for loss in the win.

After a great freshman season Elijah Collins had just nine rushing attempts for three yards. Jordon Simmons led the rushing attack with 43 yards on 14 carries.

Quarterback Rocky Lombardi threw for 319 yards on 31 of 43 passing. Lombardi had three touchdowns and two interceptions as well.

Jayden Reed was the lone standout on offense with 11 receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns. However, he did fumble twice.

While giving up 38 points to Rutgers isn’t good, the defense was put in a lot of tough spots throughout the game. Antjuan Simmons played well for MSU’s defense. He had 11 tackles with three tackles for loss.