Michigan Season Odds
ANN ARBOR, MI (TheSpread) – There has been plenty of buzz about the Michigan Wolverines since Jim Harbaugh took over the program, but will the Wolverines actually contend for a title this season?
According to oddsmakers at GTBets, Michigan is currently listed with 40/1 odds to win the College Football Playoffs this upcoming season. The Wolverines are getting odds of +1800 to win the Big Ten Championship this year, while their over/under total for wins has been set at 7.5
Harbaugh is taking over for Brady Hoke, who was fired after four seasons and a 31-20 record at Michigan. Hoke started 11-2, but saw the wins decrease each year, including a 5-7 record in 2014. Harbaugh spent the last four years with the San Francisco 49ers, going 44-19 and making three straight NFC Championship Game appearances, including one Super Bowl appearance. He and the 49ers parted ways after an 8-8 season in 2014.
There are a lot of questions about what kind of talent Michigan has. The team always recruited well under Hoke, but didn’t seem to develop the talent. The defense allowed just 22.4 points per game in 2014, but the offense averaged just 20.9 points and 333 yards per game. The team doesn’t have a lot of experience at QB outside of Iowa transfer Jake Rudock, who is eligible to play this year. He has spent the last two years with the Hawkeyes, throwing for over 2,300 yards and 15 TDs in each of the two seasons. The Wolverines will also need to establish some players at the skill positions, as they don’t have a returning rusher or receiver with more than 520 yards from 2014.
Michigan has a challenging schedule this season as it begins the year at Utah in a tough debut for Harbaugh. Michigan then hosts Oregon State, UNLV and BYU before getting to Big Ten play. Conference road games are with Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana and Penn State. The home Big Ten games are with Northwestern, Rutgers, Michigan State and Ohio State. Michigan does have its toughest games in conference play at home, but the non-conference schedule is no cake walk. If the team starts slow, it could be a long year for Harbaugh.
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