The first top 10 showdown of the college football season pits a national championship contender against a team defending the title in the marquee Week 2 matchup on Saturday. The third-ranked Texas Longhorns have their sights on the college football playoff and while the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines are the defending champs, their roster and coaching staff underwent a huge makeover during the offseason. Both teams looked the part with relatively easy season opening victories, though the Maize and Blue failed to cover the 20.5-point line in their 30-10 decision over Fresno State.
It’s been a few years since Michigan was a home underdog of more than 7-points. That was against arch rival Ohio State at the end of the 2019 campaign when the Wolverines were catching 9-points. They lost that game 56-27. The early line at Crypto sportsbooks has them as a 7.5-point dog for this game. Texas has everything needed to win a national championship with a stingy defense and Heisman Trophy hopeful Quinn Ewers running the offense. Ewers threw three touchdown passes in Texas’ 52-0 win and cover over Colorado State in the season opener.
College Football Betting Lines
Texas at Michigan Betting Lines
Texas Longhorns -7.5 / ML -281
Michigan Wolverines +7.5 / ML +240
Total 42.5
They are the defending national champions but the 2024 Michigan squad is completely changed from a season ago. They went undefeated last season behind QB J.J. McCarthy and coach John Harbaugh, who are both in the NFL. Sherrone Moore was named Harbaugh’s full-time replacement and his experience as the team’s interim during Harbaugh’s suspension last year will help his transition. The big story was at QB with Davis Warren earning the Week 1 start over Alex Orji. Both had a scoring pass in the win over Fresno State but the group struggled for most of the game behind a rebuilt offensive line.
Michigan has been stout defensively over the years finishing among the national leaders in fewest points and yards allowed. The group held Fresno State to 244 total yards while forcing a pair of turnovers. They did show cracks, though, allowing Mikey Keene to throw for 235 yards and a score. And the Texas offense has more playmaker and a Heisman Trophy favorite running the show.
It was about as perfect of an opening game for Texas as you could imagine. The Longhorns riddled Colorado State with most of the regulars taking the second half of the game off after building a 31-0 halftime lead. Ewers was 20 of 27 for 260 yards with three TDs and Arch Manning was nearly perfect hitting 5 of 6 attempts for 95 yards and a score. Texas amassed 545 total yards with everybody on the depth chart getting some playing time.
The Horns can light it up with the best teams but they also have an imposing defense. The unit held the Rams to fewer than 200 yards stifling a passing game that led the Mountain West with 306.5 yards a game last season. CSU managed just 74 yards through the air and 3.1 yards per pass with the Horns picking off a pair of offerings.
Michigan had a hard time getting anything going against Fresno State’s defense and I’m going out on a limb here saying that Texas is far better at stopping opponents. There were some unsettled times with UM’s offense and I just can’t see the group doing enough to outscore Texas. Sure the Horns will have a stiffer test against a good Wolverines stop group, but the balance and abundance of playmakers, along with a beefy offensive line, will wear down UM’s front allowing for big plays. And those plays will help get Texas a cover win.
I really want to back the OVER in this game but something’s telling me not too. It’s probably the fact they both squads are really good on that side of the football, something that gets overlooked when the offense consistently puts up yards and points.
Texas at Michigan Same Game Parlay Picks
Texas -7.5
Texas / Michigan UNDER 42.5
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
