Texas vs. Michigan: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Week 2 is here and one of the biggest matchups on the card features the defending national champions against a program that is looking to reach the top of the college football world.

Texas and Michigan are two of the traditional powers in the sport and the teams will meet in Ann Arbor on Saturday for the first time ever during the regular season.

This is a game that could have a serious impact on the College Football Playoff race, especially since both teams have challenging conference schedules on the horizon.

Texas vs. Michigan betting picks and predictions

Michigan +7.5 (-110)

It goes without saying that this year’s version of Michigan is a lot different than the teams that won the Big Ten in each of the previous three seasons.

Heading into this campaign, Michigan’s offense was a serious point of concern for many around the college football world and that concern appears to be warranted after a very poor showing against Fresno State to open the season.

Even in a win, the Wolverines were extremely poor in the passing game and struggled to sustain drives against a Group of Five opponent. While things won’t get any easier for Michigan against a major step-up in class this week, the same can be said for a Texas team that will have to face off against this stout Wolverines defense.

The Longhorns were firing on all cylinders in their win over Colorado State last Saturday, but Michigan’s defense should be one of the best in the nation this season and it would be reasonable to anticipate that the Texas offense takes a step back in a hostile environment this week.

The path to success for the Wolverines is pressuring Quinn Ewers and forcing the Longhorns into obvious passing situations where Steve Sarkisian’s offense can’t use the play-action passing game effectively.

In general, Ewers’ numbers drop significantly in non play-action pass attempts, so the blueprint is there for the Michigan defense to create havoc and make the Texas quarterback uncomfortable.

If Michigan is able to limit the explosiveness of Texas’ offense and run the ball effectively on offense, expect the game to be shortened and the Wolverines will be live underdogs in this one.

Under 42.5 (-110)

If Michigan is going to hang around in this game and cover this number at over a touchdown, the Wolverines are going to have to limit possessions for this explosive Texas offense.

It just so happens that Sherrone Moore’s team is built to play keep away on offense, as Donovan Edwards should be able to have success consistently on the ground behind this Wolverines offensive line.

Michigan is also going to have to play very slowly, which shouldn’t be an issue for this group. After all, only Army and Air Force were slower than the Wolverines in terms of seconds per play in 2023.

That trend didn't change against Fresno State last week, as the Wolverines averaged 31.9 seconds per play in the game, which was even slower than their season average last year.

Texas’ biggest weakness on defense is in the secondary, but we don’t expect the Wolverines inexperienced quarterbacks and limited options at wide receiver to take advantage of that weakness and generate explosive plays.

On the other side, the same can be said for a Texas offense that won’t be able to establish much of a ground game against this Michigan defensive front.

This should be a low-scoring, grind it out affair, so the under 42.5 is the only way our expert can look in this matchup.

Read more betting picks and predictions for the NCAAF on site.

Texas vs. Michigan odds

Texas	-300 ML
Michigan	+225 ML
Spread	TEX -7.5
Total Points	42.5 O/U

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.