The Wolverines opened as 15.5-point chalk at the best College Football betting sites. That line however could be closer to 3 TDs by kickoff on Saturday night after their routing of Ohio State. Michigan had already been bet up to 16.5-point faves at the best online sportsbooks by Monday morning.
Following an impressive routing of Ohio State, the No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines (12-0 SU, 7-4-1 ATS) are heavy favorites against the Purdue Boilermakers (8-4, 5-7) in the Big Ten championship. Michigan has won the past 4 meetings, but the teams haven’t played each other since 2017.
Purdue Boilermakers vs. Michigan Wolverines Odds by BetOnline
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue | +17 ( -110 ) | 51½ ( -110 ) | +600 |  |
| Michigan | -17 ( -110 ) | 51½ ( -110 ) | -900 | |
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Betting Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue secured its first-ever spot in the Big Ten championship game after a 30-16 win against Indiana last week. That was the Boilermakers’ third consecutive victory following a 3-3 start to conference play.
Purdue’s defense kept Indiana to just 2 second-half points until the last play of the game. This helped the Boilermakers to overcome a 7-3 deficit at the halftime break. On offense, the Boilermakers are being led by sixth-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
He threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns versus the Hoosiers. Receiver Charlie Jones caught 4 passes last week for 143 yards and a TD. The defense has been okay against the run. They allow fewer than 130 rushing yards per game. They did however allow Indiana to gain 166 rushing yards in just the first half last week.
Purdue’s defense has to avoid big plays against Michigan. The Wolverines scored 5 touchdowns on plays of 45 yards or more last week. O’Connell’s is experienced as a sixth-year senior; which could also help him overcome a stiff Michigan defense.
The Purdue Boilermakers have won four of their last five non-home games. Aidan O’Connell has completed 63.7% of his passes for 3,124 yards, 22 TDs and 11 picks. Charlie Jones and Payne Durham have a total of 1,749 receiving yards and 20 TDs. TJ Sheffield has 35 receptions.
The Purdue Boilermakers running game is averaging 126.6 rushing yards per game. Devin Mockobee has 849 yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, Purdue allows 23.1 points and 347 yards per game. Sanoussi Kane has 63 tackles, Jack Sullivan has 5.5 sacks and Cam Allen has three interceptions.
Betting Michigan Wolverines
McCarthy’s showing last week should result in Purdue respecting the Wolverines’ passing game a bit more. This can open windows for Michigan’s No. 3-ranked ground attack. On defense, the Wolverines have kept seven of their last 8 opponents to 17 points or fewer.
Blake Corum’s condition is Michigan’s largest question mark heading into the Big Ten title game. The Wolverines’ star tailback would carry the ball just two times in last week’s 45-23 win over Ohio State.
Corum has scored 19 touchdowns and accounts for more than 30% of Michigan’s total yards in the Wolverines’ first eleven games. He is currently dealing with an injured knee. Luckily, the Wolverines demonstrated last week that they are able to generating offense even without him.
Sophomore QB J.J. McCarthy threw 3 touchdown passes and ran for another one. Backup running back Donovan Edwards had a couple of long scoring runs in the fourth quarter. The 45 points are the second-most that Michigan has scored in its past 9 games.
Don’t be surprised though if the Wolverines try force a lower-scoring game this week. According to the best betting sites, Michigan has gone UNDER the total in 9 of its past 11 games as a favorite and in ten of its past 13 games overall.
The Michigan Wolverines have won four straight non-home games. J.J. McCarthy completes 65.3% of his passes for 2,215 yards, 17 TDs and two picks. Ronnie Bell and Cornelius Johnson have 1,147 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Luke Schoonmaker has 31 receptions.
The Michigan Wolverines average 244.7 rushing yards per game. Blake Corum has 1,463 yards and 18 TDs. Michigan allows 12.7 points and 262.3 yards per game.
Purdue Boilermakers vs. Michigan Wolverines
There is a potential letdown factor at play here for Michigan after they upset Ohio State. However, this Michigan defense is possibly the best in the country right now. Moreover, that ground game appears to kepp getting stronger week after week.
Purdue’s defense is decent, but the lack of playmakers on offense makes one wonder how this team will manage to ever score. It’s quite a lot of points for a conference title game, but Michigan will likely end up browbeating Purdue. We’ll lay the points.
