The Paul Bunyan Trophy is up for grabs this coming weekend when the newest chapter of the Michigan Wolverines-Michigan State Spartans rivalry takes place in East Lansing. The Wolverines are the favorite in this contest, but will they live up to the hype and take down their rivals? Or will the Spartans be the ones ending up with a reason to party?
Going into the inter-state rivalry, the Wolverines are +1600 to win the College Football Championship while the Spartans are priced at a dismal +100,000.
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Betting Preview for the Michigan Wolverines vs Michigan State Spartans Week 8 College Football Game on October 20 2018
Where: Spartan Stadium-MI, East Lansing,
When: Saturday, October 20, 2018, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Michigan Wolverines (-7) vs Michigan State Spartans (+7) – view all 2018 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on the Michigan Wolverines (6-1 Overall / 4-0 Conference)
The Wolverines zoomed to their sixth-straight victory by annihilating the No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers at home last Saturday, 38-13. Although the Wolverines already had a streak going entering the game, the win over Wisconsin was their first win against a ranked opponent, thus cementing their status as a legitimate national title contender. A key reason why the Wolverines beat Wisconsin was their marked improvement in cutting down on penalties. Michigan entered the game ranked 120th in the nation with 52 penalties, but only had an infraction against Wisconsin – and it came when the Wolverines were flagged for celebrating too much after defensive back Lavert Hill scored a touchdown off of an interception. Speaking of which, the Wolverines have a speedy, shifty, and dangerous members on their secondary, which is why they’re No. 1 in the Big Ten with three interceptions converted into touchdowns. The Wolverines are sixth in the nation with 15.4 points per game and own the No. 1 total defense with only 238.0 total yards allowed per contest.
The under is 4-0 in the Wolverines’ last four road games.
Betting on the Michigan State Spartans (4-2 Overall / 2-1 Conference)
Michigan State caught a big fish last week by beating the No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions over the weekend, 21-17. The victory came for the Spartans despite a so-so performance under center by quarterback Brian Lewerke, who passed for 259 yards and two touchdowns against an interception on 24-of-52 completions. Lewerke got plenty of support from the Spartans’ backfield, with running backs La’Darius Jefferson and Conor Heyward doing work. The two combined for 104 of the team’s 123 rushing yards. Although their production will be integral for the Spartans, it’s going to be hard for them to have a huge game against Michigan’s defense that ranks 10th in the nation against the run. Michigan, however, is 24th in the FBS with 217.0 rushing yards per contest, so don’t expect the Spartans to stop trying to spark a ground Sparty even against Michigan’s elite stop defense.
The over is 3-0 in Michigan State’s last three home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Michigan wins, 31-23.
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