It’s the MWC vs. the Big Ten on Saturday when Colorado State visits Michigan Stadium and the 8th-ranked Wolverines.
The Rams hired Jay Norvell to hopefully turn around a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017. Meanwhile, the reigning Big Ten champs suffered a playoff loss to Georgia, and are primed to hit the next level.
Can Colorado State pull off the upset, or will the heavily favored Wolverines rout the Rams at Michigan Stadium? Find out in my free best college football picks and predictions for this Week 1 showdown between Colorado State and Michigan on Saturday, September 3.
Colorado State vs Michigan odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Michigan opened at -27.5 and has been bet up to 31 points. The total opened at 57.5 and now resides at 61.5 points.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.
Colorado State vs Michigan predictions
Predictions made on 8/31/2022 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Colorado State vs Michigan game info
• Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
• Date: Saturday, September 3, 2022
• Kick-off: 12:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ABC
Colorado State vs Michigan betting preview
Weather
Saturday's forecast in Ann Arbor calls for 88 degrees and partly cloudy, with 8mph winds and a scant 10% chance of precipitation.
Monitor gametime conditions with our College football weather info.
Key injuries
Colorado State: None.
Michigan: None.
Find our latest College football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Under is 4-1 in Wolverines’ last five non-conference games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Colorado State vs. Michigan.
Colorado State vs Michigan picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
None of the players from either side were born when these schools last met in the 1994 Holiday Bowl Classic. Michigan won as nine-point favorites, and the mighty Wolverines are 31-point favorites Saturday when they host the Rams
Michigan is loaded and ready to compete for a national title.
The Wolverines return nine starters from an offense that led the Big Ten in rushing yards (3001), was sixth in passing yards (3202), third in total yards (443), and whose 36 points per contest ranked second in the conference last season.
Michigan plans for senior quarterback Cade McNamara to make the start, and his 2021 numbers were solid. The senior signal-caller threw for 2576 yards with 15 touchdowns alongside six interceptions while starting all 14 contests last season.
Leading receiver Cornelius Johnson (627 yds, 3 TDs) returns, and Michigan should get a boost as senior WR Ronnie Bell returns from missing all but a couple of plays during the 2021 season.
One of those plays was a season-opening, 79-yard TD reception against Western Michigan, and his presence will give the Wolverines offense a major boost.
The Wolverines offensive line is stacked. Sophomore TB Blake Corum should handle the bulk of the rushing duties, with soph RB Donovan Edwards in a supporting role. Corum rushed for 952 yards and 11 TDs, while Edwards scampered for 174 yards with three trips to the end zone in 2021.
Last season’s fourth-ranked Big Ten defense returns four starters, and they will definitely miss defensive linemen Aiden Hutchinson and Chris Hinton.
Michigan hired former Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to replace Mike MacDonald, and the Wolverines defense will be led by linebacker Junior Colson and defensive lineman Mazi Smith.
New faces abound for the Rams in 2022.
First-year head coach Jay Norvell returns six starters on both offense and defense, but they’ll have a difficult time covering the 31 points.
The Rams have plenty of transfers, and former Nevada QB Clay Millen and Wolf Pack WR Tory Horton followed their former coach to Fort Collins. They join WR Melquan Stovall, and you can bet the Rams will be slinging it on Saturday, because that’s their only chance to beat Michigan.
Don’t look for the Rams to run much, but leading rusher A’Jon Vivens is back and fresh off a 324, 94-carry 2021 campaign. He, and Nevada transfer Avery Morrow, could have big seasons for Colorado State.
The offensive line is also full of transfers, and they hope to gel quickly. If this unit can keep Millen’s jersey clean, the frosh QB could have a big year.
DL Mohammed Kamara, LB Cam’Ron Carter, and a number of transfers are expected to lead a defense that surrendered 28 points per game last season.
31 points is a bunch, but this Michigan offense is stacked with far too many weapons for the inexperienced Rams defense to deal with. The Wolverines will run the ball at will, throw when they want to, and the defense should be able to keep the Rams’ points to a minimum.
Michigan was 6-1 ATS at home last season and is 9-4 ATS over their last 13 home openers — I expect them to cover on Saturday.
Prediction: Michigan -31 (+100 at Pinnacle)
Over/Under analysis
61.5 points is too many for this matchup.
The Michigan offense is stacked, and Corum is a big-play back behind one of the best offensive lines in the country. The Heisman candidate rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as a secondary rushing option but is the main man now. Look for him to have his way but more importantly, eat the clock.
This contest will likely be over by halftime, and we’ll see the Wolverines keep the clock moving by pounding it out on the ground while keeping the Rams offense off of the field as much as possible.
Colorado State has a roster filled with young, talented offensive players, but the Wolverines defense has plenty of elite players of their own, and playing at home will give some of the new Michigan faces a comfortable atmosphere, where they’ll get the job done.
Prediction: Under 61.5 (-110 at bet365)
Best bet
The Wolverines offense is deadly, and I expect them to score early and often on Saturday. The Rams’ new-look offense has too many new faces at the skill positions to keep up against what could be one of the best defenses in the country.
McNamara is starting this week, but he’s in some sort of one-game competition with sophomore QB J.J. McCarthy. McNamara starts this week, while McCarthy will start at home next Saturday against Hawai’i.
Coach Jim Harbaugh is likely going to let McNamara sling it a bit early, and we can expect the senior signal-caller to have a huge first half before the running game takes over in the second half.
Look for the Michigan defense to make a statement on Saturday and a defensive secondary anchored by junior DB R.J. Moten and senior DB DJ Turner should be able to frustrate Millen, and maybe a pick-six is in the cards.
Finally, it won’t be easy for a freshman QB to waltz into Michigan Stadium and dominate. Millen likely hasn’t played in front of this large an audience, and the boisterous Wolverines faithful will make it feel like the entire world is against him. That’s a decidedly bad thing for Colorado State, especially working through early nerves.
Pick: Michigan first half -19.5 (-110 at bet365)
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