The defending national champions, Michigan, host Texas in a huge non-conference battle. Here is how to bet the game on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Texas (-7) vs. Michigan o/u 42
Michigan looked a bit shaky in their first game in the post-Jim Harbaugh and J.J. McCarthy era but ultimately took care of business against Fresno State. However, this Texas team will not be as forgiving as Fresno State if Michigan struggles to get the offense going again. This line has been moving heavily in Texas’ favor all summer and has now reached a touchdown. It is a pretty rare occurrence for Michigan to be a home underdog at this level, but they certainly have more uncertainties on their sideline than Texas does.
Texas Team Breakdown
Quinn Ewers is by far the best quarterback in this matchup. With Arch Manning, Texas has the two best quarterbacks in this matchup for that matter. Ewers looked great in Week 1, granted against an inferior Colorado State team. However, Ewers was connecting well with his new weapons at wide receiver—Isaiah Bond, Ryan Wingo and Matthew Golden—which was important to see. Ewers certainly has the talent to beat any defense, and even had a great game in Texas’ win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa last season.
Texas is a bit short at running back because of some offseason injuries, but frankly, they don’t want to run the ball against Michigan. Steve Sarkisian should rely on his experienced quarterback and attack Michigan through the air. Defensively, Texas did lose NFL talent on the line in both Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat. This will be a big test to see if the new guys on that line can stop the Michigan rushing attack.
Michigan Team Breakdown
Michigan still has a lot to discover about themselves after their first game of the season. The defense has some superstars and their front seven, specifically, is loaded with talent. In the secondary, CB Will Johnson is one of the best players in the country but outside of him, there is a lot of inexperience. Johnson could be left on an island to take away Texas’ best receiver, but does Michigan even know who that is? Probably not, because I don’t think Texas even knows who that is. Isaiah Bond is probably their WR1 but they have a lot of young talent that shined in Week 1 and used different receivers based on the area of the field they were in. Michigan will have to rely on some inexperienced and unproven players to take away some fast and skilled Texas wide receivers.
Offensively, Michigan looked lost last weekend. They started long-time Michigan backup QB Davis Warren on Saturday and he did not look great. He finished 15/25 for 115 yards with one touchdown and one interception. This Texas defense will be much better than what Warren saw against Fresno State. Michigan also used QB Alex Orji but mostly just in rushing or goal-line scenarios. It was clear that Head Coach Sherrone Moore does not trust Alex Orji to actually run this offense or throw the football downfield.
In the past, Michigan could just run it down anyone’s throat and not worry about throwing the football. However, they at least had the threat of throwing downfield with J.J. McCarthy. When that threat no longer exists, teams can really sell out to stop the run. The Michigan offensive line is also not what it once was. There are a lot of inexperienced guys on that line and they looked a bit shaky last week against Fresno State.
Texas vs. Michigan Pick and Prediction
The Texas offense is too explosive for Michigan to keep up with in their current state. Quinn Ewers should come out firing and immediately take the Big House crowd out of the game. Steve Sarkisian didn’t have to show much of anything in Week 1 and there is no doubt that he was preparing for this Michigan game a lot leading up to the season.
Offensively, Michigan can’t be trusted. They will try to be the more physical team and make this a grimy, physical game, but they just don’t have the personnel they had last year to play that way. The offensive line can’t bully people like they did last year and with virtually no threat to throw downfield, Texas will be able to sell out to stop the run. If Michigan is trailing and Davis Warren is forced to throw downfield in obvious passing downs, expect him to make some big mistakes.
If Quinn Ewers can avoid silly mistakes and Texas plays the role of aggressor early on, they should be able to take total control of this game and fly to victory.
Best Bet: Texas -7
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