And now we are done clearing our throat.
The Michigan Wolverines host Maryland in their first relatively real test of the young college-football season on Saturday.
The nation’s fourth-ranked team is only against Maryland, which touts Tua Tagovailoa’s brother Taulia in what should be a good offensive battle. The over-under is .
Both teams are 3-0. Michigan has been emphatic, stomping its opponents 176-17. The margin includes a 59-0 pasting of Connecticut last week.
Given Michigan’s stature, the first three games were considered little more than a preseason jaunt. Fun to watch, but reality starts now.
“You can’t take anything away from what Michigan has done so far,” Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, told PlayMichigan. “I know the teams they played represented a soft schedule, but they buried them all. This game certainly gets a bit tougher for them now.”
Buried, indeed.
The Wolverines set a school record by tallying more than 50 points in each of their first three games. And Blake Corum notched five rushing touchdowns last week, tying a team record.
Bigger games mean more plentiful player prop odds for Michigan football
There was little Michigan football bettors could do in those contests, as the Wolverines could cover by whatever margin they wanted and there was no telling how long the first string would play.
But now, we’ve got props. And we’ve got a ballgame.
An array of selections went up at DraftKings Sportsbook MI Tuesday night.
Many of the Michigan offers involved quarterback J.J. McCarthy. His over-under for passing yardage is 265.5, with -115 on either side. Tagovailoa is at 285.5, with the same juice.
McCarthy to throw at least three touchdown passes is +135. That’s a calculated risk with Corum in the backfield, but a good price. The under 2.5 TDs is -185.
Will McCarthy rush for more than 20.5 yards? Yes is -110, no is -120. Playable either way.
Avello told PlayMichigan last week that props on players like Corum are difficult to compile, especially one involving an anytime touchdown scorer. It’s considered a given that he gets in at least once.
He also said the book will work to get more props up as the season goes along, and this week that’s the case.
Michigan vs. Maryland prop bets
Besides individual props, Michigan sports bettors may consider some team options.
Will Michigan exceed 41.5 points? The over is -105, the under is -125. Hitting this bet depends on whether the gambler thinks Michigan’s top players have to be in there at the end.
Which team will score first? Maryland is +155, Michigan is -190. This is a good one for gamblers who like the plus number because it involves merely winning the coin flip and having a good first drive.
Here’s another category. Michigan win margins:
- 1-6 points is +600
- 7-12 points is +500
- 12-18 points is +380
- 19-24 is +400
- 25-30 is +550
- 31-36 is +750
- 37-42 is +1200
This is normally a crapshoot. One strategy is to take a shot at two ranges, consecutively. Taking the 19-24 and 25-30 groups in separate bets, for example, would produce a payoff of between +250 to +325.
For instance: A $100 bet on each requires a $200 investment that would produce a $500 return on 19-24 and $650 on 25-30. This provides a 10-point net for bettors to dive into in a game for which the moneyline is unplayable.
Michigan football national title odds
Michigan’s national championship hopes are on sale.
Despite being ranked fourth in the country, Michigan is the sixth selection at DraftKings to capture the national championship.
Michigan’s odds are a far cry from Ohio State, ranked just ahead of them at the polls.
What a price. But wait a minute before you pounce.
“There are a couple of ways you can look at this,” Avello noted. “Yes, you have a great price at 18-1, but you are still going to have to beat Ohio State (on the road, Nov. 26), no matter what. Michigan is going to get plus numbers on that game. If they manage to win, you might take that win bet and roll it over for the futures.”
That final comment means that a bettor might take $100, get betting odds of +150 against Ohio State and have a winning total of $250 to place on the new odds of Michigan to win the championship.
If Michigan does not beat Ohio State, it’s likely not winning the national title, anyway. And any bet placed now will be lost.
So, for some bettors, there may be no need to take the shot at a national title unless they know Michigan already has a chance. In this strategy, they will wait until after the Ohio State game.
