The Michigan Wolverines continue bludgeoning the overmatched opponents on their schedule, as they whipped Minnesota 52-10 last weekend. This Saturday’s game is expected to go similarly, based on a quick read of the legal sports betting market.
Mobile sportsbooks available across the state have the Wolverines as nearly a five-touchdown favorite for their Saturday home game with Indiana.
BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, and PointsBet all list Michigan as a 33-point betting favorite over Indiana. FanDuel has Michigan as a 33.5-point favorite, and DraftKings is even higher with Michigan favored by 34 points. The Wolverines have won all of their games this season by at least 20 points, although they’re just 2-3-1 against the spread.
Indiana isn’t expected to do much scoring, with the total listed at 45.5 points at most mobile sportsbooks. Michigan leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 6.7 points per game.
McCarthy Heisman odds surge
With Michigan cruising to wins, quarterback J.J. McCarthy hasn’t had a ton of chances to put up huge yardage numbers. He has, however, been highly efficient at the quarterback position.
McCarthy is completing 77.6% of his passes and averaging 10.3 yards per attempt. He’s thrown 11 touchdowns compared to three interceptions, and he’s added three rushing touchdowns. He’s fourth nationally in passing efficiency.
Will that be enough to thrust him into the Heisman Trophy mix? Some bettors think so.
PointsBet shared via newsletter that McCarthy began the week with +3000 odds to win the award. His odds have shrunk to +1000 over the last few days.
“We’ve started seeing good action on McCarthy last week and this week,” PointsBet Trader Wyatt Satre said in PointsBet’s “Hustle” newsletter. “He’s now the third-highest liability for Heisman behind Shedeur Sanders and Sam Hartman. Michigan having the second-lowest title odds and McCarthy still having showcase games against Penn State/Ohio State is what’s been driving the recent action.”
McCarthy will need a strong November against heightened competition to win the award, but his efficiency stats and the team’s undefeated record help his current case.
Spartans an underdog
Elsewhere in Michigan, the Michigan State Spartans face Rutgers on the road after three consecutive losses. They’re 4.5-point underdogs on FanDuel, with a defensive battle — or perhaps more accurately an offensive struggle — expected. The total for the contest is 39.5 on FanDuel.
Michigan State may need to win Saturday if it wants any chance of making a bowl game this season. The Spartans already have three losses, with Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State among remaining opponents. Reaching six wins will be a massive challenge for the Spartans.
Michigan and Michigan State square off next weekend in East Lansing.
Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
