Last year, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights had their chance at beating the Michigan Wolverines but fell short in overtime thanks to a missed field goal. With the pandemic year behind us and fans back in the stadium, Michigan looks a lot better than it did last year.
So, too, does Rutgers, which has also started its season 3-0 mark. While the Scarlet Knights are no longer a laughing stock, they're a major 20-point underdog for the Saturday afternoon clash with the Wolverines.
Check out our best free college football betting picks and predictions for Rutgers vs. Michigan on Saturday 25.
Rutgers vs Michigan odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Wolverines opened as an 18.5-point favorite but have now been bet up to 20.5. Bettors are expecting Michigan to dominate Rutgers, laying three touchdowns. Meanwhile, the total has shifted from 51.5 to 49.5 at most outlets, implying that most sharp bettors aren’t expecting Rutgers to keep up offensively. 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.
Rutgers vs Michigan picks
Picks made on 9/23/2021 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Rutgers vs Michigan game info
• Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
• Date: Saturday, September 25, 2021
• Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ABC
Rutgers vs Michigan betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key injuries
Rutgers: Chris Long DB (Doubtful), Max Melton DB (Doubtful), Patrice Rene DB (Questionable).
Michigan: Ronnie Bell WR (Out), Zak Zinter OL (Out).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Scarlet Knights are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog. Find more NCAA betting trends for Rutgers vs. Michigan.
Rutgers vs Michigan predictions
Rutgers +20 (-110)
The Wolverines are averaging 514.7 yards per game on offense along with 47 points per game. Cade McNamara proved he belonged as the quarterback of the Wolverines last year and has now taken off with the job. He’s thrown for 371 yards and three touchdowns this season without an interception.
Michigan, 3-0 on the year, has wins over Western Michigan, Washington, and Northern Illinois, and it has looked incredible in doing so, dominating all of these teams by multiple touchdowns.
The Wolverines dominated the run game in their two wins over Washington and Northern Illinois, running for over 340-plus yards in each contest behind Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. Once Michigan found what worked, it stuck with it. Corum has 48 attempts on the ground with 407 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s been one of the best, if not the best, running backs in the league and has averaged 8.5 yards per carry.
On the flip side, Rutgers is averaging 41 points per game and allowing just 11.3 per contest. Noah Vedral, the senior quarterback, has thrown for 606 yards and four touchdowns in three games. The one area he’s really done well in is limiting turnovers, as Rutgers hasn’t turned the ball over once in three games and that has led them to easy victories of multiple scores in each contest this season.
Defensively, Rutgers will likely be without Chris Long and Max Melton, who were charged with assault this week. Melton led the team at the cornerback position and was also an integral part of the special teams unit. Losing him for this game would be a big blow for Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights still have a terrific defense, though, holding teams to just 258.7 yards per game and 11.3 points. The competition hasn’t been close to what Michigan brings to the table, however, as they've faced Temple, Syracuse, and Delaware.
They’re going to lose this matchup but they’ll keep it close with the Wolverines for most of the game.
Under 50.5 (-110)
Michigan’s defense deserves a lot of respect. Just like Rutgers, it has allowed 11.3 points per game on the season and has limited teams to under 300 yards of offense per game.
The Wolverines have looked fantastic against the run and the coverage has been spectacular to start the year. Michigan has also made tackles in the open field, limiting big plays from the opposition. If you can limit plays down the field, you give your team a real chance to win any football game.
On the other hand, Rutgers has been smart with the football and avoided costly turnovers. The Scarlet Knights have one of the best punters in college football in Adam Korsak and he’s able to change field position in the blink of an eye. If the Wolverines want to score, they will have to go 90 yards to get to the endzone.
With both defenses stepping up early and the special teams performing at a high level, I like this game to go Under the total.
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