One of college football’s oldest and most played rivalries will be renewed on Saturday when the 2-2 Minnesota Golden Gophers head to Ann Arbor to take on the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines.
The Little Brown Jug will be on the line as the Gophers try to take the trophy back to Minneapolis after the Wolverines won their fourth straight matchup in the series last season.
Michigan has really dominated the rivalry of late, winning 43 of the last 47 meetings between these schools. Minnesota is seeking its first road win against an AP-ranked Wolverines team since 2005. Last year, Michigan’s 52-10 thumping of the Gophers was Minnesota’s worst loss under P.J. Fleck.
While it wasn’t a win that looked as pretty as the Mona Lisa, the Wolverines enter this contest after overcoming a late fourth-quarter deficit against USC to extend its Big Ten winning streak to a school-record 26 games.
Minnesota vs. Michigan Betting and DFS Preview
All Minnesota vs. Michigan odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
- Spread
Michigan -8.5 - Moneyline
Minnesota +270, Michigan -340 - Over/Under
38.5 - Game Time
12 p.m. ET - Location
Michigan Stadium | Ann Arbor, MI - Predicted Weather at Kick
66 degrees, partly cloudy - How To Watch
FOX
After covering the spread for the first time all season against USC, Michigan opened up as an 8.5-point favorite and has been backed in the early portion of betting, receiving 88% of the bets placed on the spread. The Wolverines are 8-2-1 against the spread in conference games since the start of last season.
Michigan has outscored the Gophers by an average of 30 points in their last three head-to-head matchups.
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The stout Michigan defense, which allowed only 10.7 points per game against conference opponents last season, has been keeping the totals under control. Since the start of last season, the game has gone under the total six of the last nine times Michigan entered as a home favorite.
Minnesota has not covered the spread in either of its two games as an underdog in 2024. In fact, they have covered the spread just once in their last seven games as an underdog since the start of last season.
The Golden Gophers will play their first road game of the season on Saturday. Five of the last eight Minnesota road contests have seen the game go under the total.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
- QB Max Brosmer (MINN)
- QB Alex Orji (MICH)
- RB Marcus Major (MINN)
- RB Darius Taylor (MINN)
- RB Kalel Mullings (MICH)
- RB Donovan Edwards (MICH)
- WR Daniel Jackson (MINN)
- WR Elijah Spencer (MINN)
- WR Semaj Morgan (MICH)
- WR Tyler Morris (MICH)
- TE Jameson Geers (MINN)
- TE Colston Loveland (MICH)
This game should have a classic Big Ten feel as neither squad excels at passing the football, particularly Michigan who won despite throwing for only 32 yards on Saturday against USC.
The Wolverines started the year with Davis Warren under center but made the switch to Alex Orji ahead of the game against the Trojans. Michigan ran the ball 46 times compared to only 12 pass attempts in that game.
Michigan has a two-headed backfield with Kalel Mullings, who had a career-high 159 yards on Saturday, including a 53-yard scoring run to put the Wolverines ahead early. Donovan Edwards also rumbled for his 17th career rushing touchdown in the win.
〽️ 17 car.
〽️ 159 yards
〽️ 2 TDKalel Mullings posted his second straight 150-yard, 2-TD effort in a win over No. 11 USC.#B1GFootball x @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/wTyre40WlV
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 21, 2024
Minnesota’s Max Brosmer threw a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes last week against Iowa but was limited to 44 passing yards after halftime. Despite those struggles, the sixth-year transfer from New Hampshire looks to have given Fleck his best passing option at quarterback since Tanner Morgan threw for 30 touchdowns in 2019.
“When we gave Max time, he looked really good back there. We just got to continue to keep him in rhythm,” Fleck said after the team’s 31-14 loss to the Hawkeyes.
Prediction for Minnesota vs. Michigan
We know Michigan’s offense prefers to run the football. That is an area of concern for Fleck, who has seen his run defense gashed at times during the early portion of the season. The Golden Gophers have allowed 123.8 rushing yards per game against North Carolina, Rhode Island, Nevada, and Iowa.
It might not look very pretty, but neither Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore nor the Wolverines fan base will care if Michigan needs to keep pounding the rock to win games. The move to Orji under the center solidifies that thought process; you can expect another 75-25 split in terms of the ratio of rushing attempts to passing attempts.
The combination of Mullings and Edwards averaged over 7.3 yards per rush against the Trojans. Look for the Wolverines to rely on the same formula and trust their defense to stop an offense that currently ranks 15th out of 18 Big Ten teams in yards per play.
Prediction: Michigan 27, Minnesota 9
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