Utah v. Michigan Spread, Line & College Football Predictions

August 27, 2008

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The Rich Rodriguez era gets underway at Michigan this weekend when the Utah Utes head to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines.  Fans are hoping his spread attack can bring the same kind of success that he brought to West Virginia during his seven year stint with the Mountaineers, when he went 60-26 with four conference titles ans six bowl games.  Michigan is going to have to get off to a better start than they did last year if they hope to win this game, since last year it was Appalachian State who came into the big house and stole the show with a 34-32 win over the Wolverines.  Michigan ended up at 9-4 after beating Florida 41-35 in the Capital One Bowl.  If you like Michigan this year then betting on the Wolverines -3.5 against Utah might seem like a smart wager.

Utah was also 9-4 and got off to a bad start with two straight losses against Oregon State and Air Force before getting things back on track against then no. 12 ranked UCLA, winning 44-6.  The team then finished at 5-3 in the MWC and beat Navy 35-32 in the Poinsettia Bowl.  Utah should also contend with BYU this year for the conference title, and they are hoping to build some confidence against the Wolverines.  If you want to bet on Utah they are getting +3.5 points at JustBet.

Brian Johnson has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Mountain West, but he’s had trouble staying healthy for an entire season.  He enters the year as the active leader in the conference with more than 5,600 total yards.  He’s deadly both with his arm and his feet, and due to his injuries he’s flying a little bit under the radar.  Johnson has three decent receivers he can throw the ball to in Brent Casteel, Bradon Godfrey, and Freddie Brown.  Matt Asiata missed last year with a leg injury, but that means him and Darrell Mack will join forces in the backfield to prove the Utes with a powerful 1-2 punch.

There weren’t many teams better on defense than Utah was last year, especially against the pass.  Utah held opponents to 16.8 ppg and a 96.5 passer efficiency rating.  The team should be tough on that side of the ball yet again with three guys making the preseason all-conference team.  Paul Kruger will be a center piece on the defensive line after racking up 63 tackles and three fumbles as a freshman.  The linebackers will be led by Stevenson Sylvester who has the potential to be a star.

Michigan is going to have its hands full on offense this year as Rodriguez is installing an entirely new offense.  The team struggled to move the ball last year against teams like Oregon, Penn State, and Ohio State.  The Wolverines were second to last in the Big Ten with just 385 ypg, and with a couple of new faces trying out for quarterback, this side of the ball isn’t likely to scare anyone.  The offense has just one senior, and its receiver Mike Massey who has 20 catches for 161 yards in his entire career.  Brandon Minor will most likely be the one carrying the ball, but he hasn’t carried the pigskin too many times yet in his career.

The Michigan defense was more impressive than the offense a year ago, with Penn State, Minnesota, and Ohio State all being held to two touchdowns or less and a shutout of Notre Dame.  The pass defense was eigth in the nation allowing just 179 ypg, but the run defense needs improving.  Oregon racked up 331 yards on the ground against them.  Terrance Taylor is going to be the leader on this side of the ball, and he’s an early candidate for many top awards.  Tim Jamison is going to cause some problems for opposing offenses at defensive end.

Predicted Score:

Michigan 22
Utah 19

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Written by admin · Filed Under College Football 

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