Michigan Wolverines football is tied with Ole Miss with the 12th-best odds to win the national championship at +2500 with the fourth-best chance to take home the Big Ten title at +1000, according to BetMGM.
BetMGM has also released early point spreads for three games — the Sept. 5 season-opener against Western Michigan, Sept. 12 showdown against Oklahoma and Nov. 14 road tilt at Oregon.
vs. Western Michigan Sept. 5 — Michigan -26.5
Michigan has a 37-1 record against teams in the MAC, with all 38 games played at The Big House. THe lone loss came to Toledo in 2008.
This isn’t just any MAC team, but Michigan is a hefty favorite, expected to start off the season with a dominant, three-plus score victory. The Broncos won the conference last season, winning 10 of their last 11 games, including 23-13 over Miami (Ohio) in the MAC championship game and 41-6 over Kennesaw State in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Quarterback Broc Lowry is back, after earning MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Head coach Lance Taylor has a run-heavy offense that put the ball on the ground on 67.1 percent of plays last season, and Lowry was a big part of that as a dual-threat signal-caller.
vs. Oklahoma Sept. 12 — Michigan -2.5
This is one of the most anticipated non-conference games of the college football season and will take place on the same day as the matchup between each team’s primary rival — Ohio State and Texas — in Austin. The Wolverines and Sooners have met only twice — in the 1975 Orange Bowl and at Oklahoma last season, a 24-13 win for the home team.
Las Vegas is projecting a narrow Michigan win in a game between two teams that would be fairly even on a neutral field.
The Sooners made the College Football Playoff as the No. 8 seed under head coach Brent Venables last season, losing to No. 9 seed Alabama in Norman. Oklahoma has much of its production back, led by quarterback John Mateer and at least one star on every level of the defense.
at Oregon Nov. 14 — Oregon -10.5
Michigan hasn’t won a road game against a Pac-12 team or former member of that conference since 1989, and it took an onside kick and late score to beat UCLA that time. It’s difficult to travel across the country in the middle of the fall and beat an elite team, which is what Oregon is expected to be this season.
The Ducks lost only two games last year, both to eventual national champion Indiana. The sour taste that left led many key players — including quarterback Dante Moore, a Detroit native, to return for another season. Moore is a projected first-round NFL Draft pick, and the defensive line is a force to be reckoned with.
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