Washington Huskies at Michigan Wolverines Betting Preview
No team suffered a worse week one loss in College Football than the Washington Huskies. The Huskies lost to FCS opponent Montana for the first time in about 100 years.
Michigan had a different week one experience, blowing out Western Michigan in The Big House 47-14. Jim Harbaugh was thrown a lifeline at the end of last season with a contract extension which shocked most in the college football world, and this out-of-conference game is a big one in seeing if anything has changed in Ann Arbor.
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Washington Huskies Team Preview
As mentioned, no team was more disappointing in week one than Jimmie Lake’s squad. The Huskies were among the favorites to compete for a Pac 12 title this year, and most of that optimism was built on the strength of the team’s defense. The big question coming in was can Dillon Morris give Washington quality quarterback play.
The answer, at least in week one, was no. Morris threw three interceptions to the Grizzlies, including a game-clinching one in the fourth quarter. Morris wasn’t the only disappointment on that side of the ball, though. The offensive line was also supposed to be a powerful unit as they returned the entire group. Washington gave up three sacks and averaged less than three yards per carry, quite the subpar performance against an FCS team.
Defensively the Huskies were stout and only allowed 13 points on the night. They held Montana to only 105 yards passing, but the Grizzlies were able to take care of the ball and avoid committing turnovers, unlike the Huskies. There’s still some hope for Lake’s defense, but they’ll need vastly improved play from their signal caller if they’re going to rebound throughout the rest of the season.
Michigan Wolverines Team Preview
Jim Harbaugh hasn’t struggled to beat the teams he’s supposed to, as Michigan hasn’t lost to an unranked out of conference team in the regular season since his debut. With the Huskies’ loss to Montana, they’ve dropped out of the rankings, so this game technically falls under that category, but the Huskies should be hungry to prove week one was a fluke.
Michigan has struggled to find high-level quarterback play under Harbaugh, and many believe that has been what’s kept the Wolverines from winning the big games during his tenure. Week one didn’t give much to show whether or not Cade McNamara is the guy as Michigan only threw the ball a combined 17 times. The passing game didn’t need to feature much as the Wolverines tore the Broncos apart on the ground averaging nearly eight yards per carry. The loss of wide receiver Ronnie Bell to a season-ending injury in week one won’t help the passing game when it’s needed in future games.
The defense did a solid job containing Western Michigan overall and limited the Broncos to 126 yards rushing. Michigan will need to do a better job disrupting offenses as they only created one sack and no turnovers. Dillon Morris may help alleviate that with the way he gave away the ball in week one.
The Bet
BetOnline, BetUS, and Bovada all have the Wolverines as a touchdown favorite at home (-7). BetUS has the over/under betting line for total points set at 48.5, while the other two sportsbooks have it set at 48.
Washington should put up a fight defensively on the ground and slow down the strength that the Wolverines showed a week ago, but will they be able to improve from the atrocious offensive showing from a week ago? It seems like the perfect chance for Washington to see what they have in five-star freshman quarterback Sam Huard, but Lake has said Morris will remain the starter. Hard to imagine the offense showing improvement in the raucous environment in Ann Arbor, so the play should be Michigan, but keep an eye on the under as the Huskies defense should give Harbaugh and company fits.
