The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines will play their Big Ten opener against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday afternoon in a meeting between undefeated teams. Michigan was without head coach Jim Harbaugh for its first three games due to a school-imposed suspension, but he will return for this game. The Wolverines picked up wins over East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green in their first three contests. Meanwhile, Rutgers is coming off a 35-16 win over Virginia Tech, covering the spread as a 6.5-point favorite.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on Saturday at Michigan Stadium. Michigan is favored by 24 points in the latest Michigan vs. Rutgers odds, while the over/under is set at 44.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Rutgers vs. Michigan picks, you’ll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of nearly $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Rutgers-Michigan. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the game:
- Michigan vs. Rutgers spread: Michigan -24
- Michigan vs. Rutgers over/under: 44.5 points
- Michigan vs. Rutgers money line: Michigan: -2500, Rutgers: +1250
- Michigan vs. Rutgers picks: See picks here
- Michigan vs. Rutgers live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Michigan can cover
Harbaugh’s return is an added bonus for a Michigan team that has already posted a trio of blowout victories this season. The Wolverines won by a combined 96-16 score in those three home games, beating East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green. They enter the fourth week of the season ranked second in FBS in total defense and first in scoring defense.
Offensively, running back Blake Corum has scored six rushing touchdowns and gained 254 rushing yards, ranked second in the country in rushing scores. Michigan has won eight consecutive games against Rutgers, including a 52-17 blowout win last year. The Wolverines have won 15 straight conference games, while Rutgers has lost eight of its last 12 games.
Why Rutgers can cover
Michigan is off to a 3-0 start, but it failed to cover the spread in all three of those wins, despite its strong defensive effort. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw three interceptions in just 13 pass attempts against Bowling Green last week, and another turnover on Saturday would make it difficult for Michigan to cover this spread. The Wolverines are also facing their first Power 5 opponent, while Rutgers has already picked up wins against Northwestern and Virginia Tech.
Scarlet Knights running back Kyle Monangai ranks sixth in the country in rushing yards (357) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (five). He had 143 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Virginia Tech last week, earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. Rutgers also brings a top-10 scoring defense into this matchup, allowing just 10 points per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Michigan vs. Rutgers picks
The model has simulated Rutgers vs. Michigan 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Michigan vs. Rutgers, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Rutgers vs. Michigan spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that’s up nearly $2,500 on its top-rated college football spread picks since its inception, and find out.
