7:45 pm
October 24

#18 Michigan @ #21 Minnesota

Who will WIN this matchup?

#18 Michigan Wolverines (0-0)

@ #21 Minnesota Golden Gophers (0-0)

 

Current odds:

Michigan Wolverines: (-160)

Minnesota Golden Gophers: (+140)

 

• The line for this game is Michigan by 3.5 points.

• Tanner Morgan gives Minnesota something that its opening-night opponent doesn’t have: an experienced quarterback. Morgan threw 30 touchdown passes last season when the Golden Gophers won 11 games — the first time since 1904 — which included an Outback Bowl victory over Auburn. The junior will try to get his 21st-ranked team off to a strong start when it hosts No. 18 Michigan on Saturday. Morgan passed for 3,253 yards, completed 66 percent of his attempts and was picked off just seven times last year for Minnesota, which won its first nine games. His touchdown, yards and completion marks all were school records.

• Fleck has lifted up a floundering Gophers program since he became head coach in 2017. The last time Minnesota was involved in a matchup of ranked teams to start a season was 1968. Rashod Bateman, the team’s second-leading receiver a year ago, also returns after racking up 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns on 60 receptions. Mohamed Ibrahim (604 yards, seven TDs) is expected to be the lead back this season. Minnesota’s top three tacklers a year ago are gone but Fleck has a good feeling about how his defense is progressing.

• The same can be said for Michigan’s quarterbacks. The projected starter, junior Joe Milton, has thrown only 11 passes the past two seasons. Coach Jim Harbaugh wouldn’t commit to Milton as his starter, contending redshirt freshman Cade McNamara is still in the running.

• The Wolverines are coming off a 9-4 season, which included a Citrus Bowl loss to Alabama. Harbaugh said he believes his current group bonded during the coronavirus pandemic.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#18 Michigan Wolverines
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