The Michigan Wolverines are on the road tonight in Big Ten Football action, taking on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the betting odds for the game have the Wolverines favored to pick up the victory on the road.
Michigan is looking to rebound from a horrendous loss against arch-rival Michigan State a few weeks back. Now the fighting Jim Harbaughs are on the road to take on a Minnesota team that is replacing its head coach, Jerry Kill, who suffered another seizure this week and has decided to retire from coaching, which is completely understandable.
The battle for The Little Brown Jug has been played 101 times previous, Michigan holds a commanding 73-25-3 lead all-time, but Minnesota has had some very good teams during that stretch. This year's team leaves something to be desired as they are 4-3 overall and just 1-2 in Big Ten play. Clearly Michigan is the better football team here, but will there be a rallying effort from Minnesota to support their coach?
That makes sense, but Michigan's defense will be the best Minnesota sees all season. The Wolverines rank No. 1 in the country in total defense and they're the only Division 1 school allowing single digits per game. Note the Wolverines shut out three straight opponents, two of them in the Big Ten, and have given up just seven points in two other games.
Harbaugh has brought an intensity back to Ann Arbor that few thought he could do in so little time. Michigan has excellent talent on both sides of the football and in the secondary both Jarrod Wilson and Jabrill Peppers are elite defenders. Peppers is also a big factor in the special teams, but has yet to take a kick back for a touchdown.
Michigan's offense will be methodical once again in this one. Jake Rudock will hand the football off, keep the throws underneath and Michigan will march up and down the field. Minnesota, even at home, is looking at a tough matchup all-around today.
Free Pick: Michigan
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