The No. 9 Michigan Wolverines will open a new era under head coach Sherrone Moore when they face the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday night. Moore was on Jim Harbaugh's staff during Michigan's national championship season last year, serving as the acting head coach in four games when Harbaugh was suspended. The Wolverines are ranked behind No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon and No. 8 Penn State in the Big Ten. Fresno State went 9-4 last season, closing the campaign with a New Mexico Bowl victory over New Mexico State.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Michigan Stadium. Michigan is favored by 21.5 points in the latest Michigan vs. Fresno State odds, while the over/under is 45.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Fresno State vs. Michigan picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also coming off a profitable 13-9 season on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.
The model has set its sights on Fresno State-Michigan. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the game:
- Michigan vs. Fresno State spread: Michigan -21.5
- Michigan vs. Fresno State over/under: 45.5 points
- Michigan vs. Fresno State money line: Michigan -1667, Fresno State:+954
- Michigan vs. Fresno State picks: See picks here
Why Michigan can cover
Michigan opens the season as the defending champion, and it returns several key pieces from that team. Senior running back Donovan Edwards rushed for 497 yards and five touchdowns last season, including 104 yards and two scores against Washington in the national championship. Junior tight end Colston Loveland will be one of the top targets in the passing attack after catching 45 passes for 649 yards and four touchdowns last season.
The Wolverines have not officially announced their starting quarterback, but it will be either junior Alex Orji or senior Davis Warren, who are both holdovers from last year. Fresno State is playing under an interim head coach after Jeff Tedford stepped down in July due to health concerns. The Bulldogs only covered the spread two times in their final nine games last season, and they are 1-4 against the spread in their last five road games. See which team to pick here.
Why Fresno State can cover
While Michigan is the defending national champion, there are a lot of moving parts heading into this opener. The Wolverines are replacing their top quarterback, running back and wide receiver from last year, along with playing under a new head coach. They have a huge showdown against No. 4 Texas looming next week, which makes this a lookahead spot for them.
Fresno State is coming off a 9-4 campaign that ended with a win in the New Mexico Bowl, and quarterback Mikey Keene returns as the starter. He threw for 2,976 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, completing 67.1% of his passes. Senior running back Malik Sherrod rushed for 966 yards and nine scores last year, while sophomore wide receiver Jalen Moss caught 55 passes for 706 yards and six touchdowns. See which team to pick here.
How to make Michigan vs. Fresno State picks
The model has simulated Fresno State 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 over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Michigan vs. Fresno State, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Fresno State vs. Michigan spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that's up well over $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks since its inception, and find out.
