Michigan-Washington Prediction

The Week 2 primetime game emanates from Ann Arbor, MI and BetRivers is proud to bring you its Michigan-Washington prediction, odds, and analysis on an important game that could’ve been make-or-break. The reason it’s still important but not paramount is that Washington lost to Montana (FCS) in Week 1, bumping the Huskies out of the Top 25. Michigan rolled over Western Michigan and could have used a ranked opponent to propel the Wolverines back into the national conversation. A big win on Saturday night should still do that, but a loss now hurts Michigan more than it would have had Washington not faltered last week.

Longtime college sports writer Rob Dauster, the co-founder of The Field of 68 and The Field of 12 Network is here to break down the matchup and provide his Michigan-Washington prediction for Week 2 of the college football season.

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MICHIGAN-WASHINGTON PREDICTION:

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (1-0) vs. WASHINGTON HUSKIES (0-1)
GAME: 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC
MONEYLINE: Michigan -275 ML, Washington +205 ML
SPREAD: Michigan -6.5
TOTAL: 48.5

MICHIGAN-WASHINGTON PUBLIC TRENDS:
MICHIGAN ML: 87% handle, 85% bets
MICHIGAN SPREAD: 57% handle, 74% bets
OVER: 17% handle, 29% bets

There is finally a reason to be excited about Michigan football again. Right?

I mean, should we be bullish on the Wolverines after they punked Western Michigan in their season-opener? It’s not easy to win the games you’re supposed to win. Ask Washington. They lost to Montana last Saturday night. Weird things happen in a sport when there are 18-22-year-olds on the field.

But as far as Michigan is concerned, there’s some talent there. Cade McNamara is the starter at quarterback, but at some point this season, we’re going to start hearing calls for J.J. McCarthy to take over. Anyone that saw the 69-yard bomb he had at the end of the game on Saturday will agree. I’m a believer in competition bringing out the best, and while losing Ronnie Bell to a torn ACL is going to be a blow, my expectation is that McNamara will show up ready to play in a primetime matchup in The Big House.

Combine all of that with the pressure on Michigan to get this win, and if you’re going to make me pick a side, it’s Michigan. After seeing how the Pac-12 performed against other leagues, I have a hard time trusting the team from the league that was on the wrong end of the biggest upset loss from Week 1.

That said, I think the play that I like the most here is the under. Washington’s got some nasty linebackers, and while they didn’t force a turnover in Week 1, they did hold Montana to nine first downs and just 222 yards. They just couldn’t move the ball. We may end up seeing five-star freshman Sam Huard at some point if the Huskies can’t find an answer on that end. Throw in Bell’s injury, and I do believe that we’re in for a low-scoring game.