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A heated Big Ten rivalry renews Saturday when the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines visit the No. 24 Michigan State Spartans at noon ET. Michigan is looking to keep pace with Ohio State in the Big Ten East, while the Spartans are seeking their second consecutive upset victory. Both clubs are coming off likely their most impressive outings of the season. Michigan routed Wisconsin 38-13 in a national showcase game, while Michigan State gave its most complete performance of the season in a 21-17 upset at Penn State as a two-touchdown underdog.
The Wolverines are seven-point sportsbook favorites and the over-under for total points scored is set at 41 in the latest Michigan vs. Michigan State odds. Before you make any Michigan vs. Michigan State picks, check out what SportsLine senior analyst Josh Nagel has to say.
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A Nevada-based expert with 20 years of experience in the sports wagering industry, Nagel specializes in handicapping college athletics. He’s having another solid season in college football, hitting on 60 percent of his spread picks for SportsLine members. More important, he has a keen eye for the tendencies of the Wolverines, with a 7-2 record on spread picks involving their games over the past two seasons.
Two weeks ago, Nagel advised SportsLine members that Michigan would overpower upstart Maryland and pull away to cover the 17-point spread. That’s exactly what happened as the Wolverines came alive in the second half and rolled to a 42-21 victory. Anyone who followed Nagel’s advice is way up this season.
Now, Nagel has scrutinized Michigan vs. Michigan State from every possible angle to reveal a strong point-spread pick that he’s sharing only at SportsLine.
Nagel has taken into account that Michigan State (4-2) was uneven in the early going and appeared destined to come up short of many projections that pegged the Spartans as a sleeper to win the Big Ten. They squandered a 10-point lead in a loss at Arizona State and were outplayed by Northwestern in a 29-19 home loss as a two-touchdown favorite.
But this historically late-blooming team looks as if it might be headed toward another strong finish. The Spartans scored the winning touchdown with 19 seconds left on a 25-yard pass from Brian Lewerke to Felton Davis to beat Penn State last week. The defense held the Lions to three second-half points while limiting their powerful offense to 394 total yards and 3 of 14 on third-down attempts.
Just because Michigan State has been rolling doesn’t mean it’ll cover against a Michigan (6-1) team that is hitting its peak while fighting for its first Big Ten title game appearance under Jim Harbaugh.
The Wolverines have won their first four conference games by a combined score of 156-61 and appear to be getting more dominant each week. They are coming off a 38-13 thumping of persistent nemesis Wisconsin.
Michigan limited Wisconsin’s vaunted running game to 183 yards, but the pass defense really shined by allowing just 100 yards and intercepting two passes. On offense, the Wolverines powered their way to 320 rushing yards, led by Karan Higdon, who had 105 yards and a score. Quarterback Shea Patterson added 90 rushing yards and touchdown.
We can tell you Nagel is leaning toward the under, but he has analyzed all key factors in this matchup and unearthed a crucial x-factor that causes one side of the spread to hit hard. It’s only available at SportsLine.
Who covers in Michigan vs. Michigan State? And what crucial x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump all over Saturday, all from the senior analyst who’s 7-2 on picks involving Michigan.
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