The Michigan Wolverines (+1400 to win the national title) missed a ticket to the College Football Playoff last year after a gut-shot of a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Then they face-planted in a bowl game loss to the Florida Gators. After several months of waiting, the Wolverines are finally getting their chance to rebound, and they start their season with a home game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, who have no plans of being cannon fodder in Ann Arbor.
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Betting Preview for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Michigan Wolverines Week 1 College Football Game on August 31 2019
Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor
When: Saturday, August 31 , 2019, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (+34.5) vs. Michigan Wolverines (-34.5) – view all 2019 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: BTN
Betting on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (0-0 Overall / 0-0 Conference)
It will be intriguing to see whether the Blue Raiders can handle the atmosphere in Ann Arbor, but it’s not like they haven’t been subjected to the kind of environment they’ll be in this coming Saturday. Just last year, they played the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens and the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. Plus, the Blue Raiders have also made it to a bowl game last season, albeit losing to the Appalachian State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Middle Tennessee is replacing quarterback Brent Stockstill, who’s used up all his eligibility, with one in the trio of Asher O’Hara, Chase Cunningham, and Randall Johnson, and while it’s not clear who will start for the Blue Raiders, the passing attack will have a constant factor in wide receiver Ty Lee, who should be able to put pressure on the Wolverines’ reconfigured secondary. Lee led his team in 2018 with 883 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions on 71 catches.
Middle Tennessee is 5-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last seven games.
Betting on the Michigan Wolverines (0-0 Overall / 0-0 Conference)
One thing about the Wolverines in 2018 is that they were incredibly careful with the ball, having turned the ball over fewer than any Big Ten team last year. With the Blue Raiders losing some pieces on defense, the Wolverines should find themselves having their way on offense on Saturday. Quarterback Shea Patterson passed the ball for 2,600 yards last season and finished with 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions. The Wolverines have a new offensive coordinator in John Gattis, who’s coming from Nick Saban’s coaching tree in Alabama, and he is expected to bring Michigan’s attack to the next level. The Wolverines put up 35.2 points per game last season and passed for 215.7 yards per contest. With an offensive line viewed as among the bests — if not the best in the Big Ten — the Wolverines are poised to break through the Blue Raiders’ stop unit.
The Wolverines are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Wolverines win, 41-13.
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