It has been a disappointing season so far for the Michigan Wolverines. They sit in unfamiliar territory, the bottom of the Big Ten standings. This Saturday, they will compete against another basement dweller, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Michigan has lost three of their last four games, with their only win coming against Penn State. The Wolverines lost last weekend against Indiana 13-6 in overtime. Head coach Kyle Whittingham took the opportunity to start freshman quarterback Tommy Carr. Carr is the brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr. The offense did not look better, and may have even looked worse with zero touchdowns on their home field against a great Indiana defense. Good news for Michigan is Rutgers defense is much more manageable. The Scarlet Knights have lost three of their last five games, with their last game being a loss to Northwestern 42-14. Rutgers has allowed an average of 33.3 points and 416.7 yards per game.
After Carr failed to wow Whittingham, there once again is a question mark at quarterback for who will start this weekend for Michigan. Regardless of the quarterback that starts Saturday, I find this is a great bounce back spot for Michigan’s offense to finally find life. Michigan has scored 21 or less points in five of their last six games, but it is important to note who they played during that stretch. The Wolverines have gone through a gauntlet this season against teams with top 20 defenses. In six games, they needed to play against Oklahoma, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, and Indiana. Michigan’s play cannot be fully excused of their poor play, but with all five of these teams ranking in the top 20 in yards allowed through the air, it begins to explain the level of bad Michigan has been. Michigan has a roster of talented players, and I believe they will break out against a Rutgers defense that ranks 127th nationally in scoring defense and 121st in total defense. The Scarlet Knights are especially bad against the run, surrendering 199 rushing yards per game. This could prove to be their downfall against a Michigan team that would prefer to lean on their running game. This is a buy low spot for a total for a game that includes Rutgers. I will buy this low hoping Whittingham can still get his guys inspired to play this game hard.
Over 46.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at 47.5.
