The first week of the 2019 regular season has come for the Michigan and Michigan State football teams. According to the Michigan college football Week 1 odds, it should be a successful one.
Legal sportsbooks across the nation favor both the Spartans and Wolverines to win their home and season openers. Michigan’s and Michigan State’s performances will determine to what degree those bets pay off.
Michigan college football Week 1 odds, injury report and TV schedule
The Spartans begin their season Friday night at home against Tulsa. FS1 is broadcasting the contest, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Michigan opens another year in “The Big House” on Saturday night against Middle Tennessee State. Fans can watch on ESPN starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The opening lines reflect Michigan State planning to take the field without several players, including starting left tackle Cole Chewins, due to injury. Michigan’s injured reserve currently includes no players expected to start on Saturday.
The injury to Chewins evokes a storyline that Spartans fans should be familiar with from last season.
Michigan State vs. Tulsa odds
FanDuel, PointsBet, Westgate Las Vegas and William Hill New Jersey have the Spartans a 23.5-point favorite over the Golden Hurricane. Other books like DraftKings and SugarHouse list Michigan State as a 23-point favorite.
The latest point totals at books across the country don’t vary much. Disparate books currently fluctuate between 47.5 and 48.5 points.
The best moneyline taking Tulsa to upset the apple cart is +1200. That can be had at Westgate. Outside of Vegas, FanDuel, PointsBet and SugarHouse have odds of +1100 on Tulsa to win.
While Michigan State should win this game easily, taking Tulsa and the points looks tempting. Sportsbooks aren’t confident in either offense and for good reason.
Tulsa really struggled to score as the 2018 season wore on, notching only six points in each of its final four games. The Golden Hurricane should rely heavily on their running game, led by Shamari Brooks.
Michigan State had the stoutest run defense in the nation last season. The Spartans return eight starters from that unit this year.
The question then becomes whether Michigan State will score most of the spread on its own. The Spartans were hampered offensively by injuries last season, especially along the offensive line.
Problems in execution also limited Michigan State to just 11.3 points per game in its final seven contests of 2018. Sparty could easily put up five touchdowns or fewer in this contest, meaning Tulsa would only have to put up 13 to ruin the spread in that instance.
While taking the under on the point total here is the obvious bet if it can be found, the Wolverines’ game should be a different story.
Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee State odds
FanDuel, PointsBet, and Westgate all have the Wolverines a 34.5-point favorite against Middle Tennessee State. DraftKings and SugarHouse favor Michigan by 34.
The point total for the game fluctuates between 53.5 and 54.5, with none of the books currently offering a moneyline bet on the Blue Raiders to upset the spread.
Unlike the Michigan State game, there’s no cause to consider Middle Tennessee State here. The Wolverines’ passing game, led by Heisman hopeful Shea Patterson, should feast all night against an inexperienced Blue Raider secondary.
While Michigan sports betting remains illegal pending further legislative action, betting in neighboring Indiana begins Sunday. Michiganders looking to bet on the Spartans and Wolverines can make that trip to place wagers on future games, many of which should be more competitive.
