Ad Disclosure
Michigan in unusual territory as a home underdog in Week 2 vs. Texas
Published:
Michigan, as of this writing, is a consensus 7-point underdog in its Week 2 home matchup against Texas.
As you might expect given Michigan’s level of dominance over the past 3 seasons, this is a relatively-rare reality for the Wolverines. It’s the first time they’ve been an underdog in Vegas for any game since their 2022 matchup against Ohio State.
To find the last time Michigan was a home underdog, you’d have to go back another full year to the 2021 showdown against the Buckeyes.
It’s been even longer since Michigan was a home underdog against a team other than Ohio State. That hasn’t happened since 2020 when Michigan was a 7-point dog to Wisconsin and ended up losing 49-11.
Excluding the COVID year, Michigan hasn’t been a home underdog of 3 points or more against a program other than Ohio State since before the Jim Harbaugh era began.
Michigan’s performance as an underdog in the Jim Harbaugh era
Michigan wasn’t often an underdog under Harbaugh’s leadership, but the Wolverines typically struggled when they were put into that spot.
Michigan went 4-12 straight up and 7-9 against the spread as underdogs in the betting market from 2015-23. That’s not a particularly large sample size of games, but it is representative of nearly a decade of Michigan football.
Michigan has beaten the number in 3 of its last 4 games as a dog. That stretch includes its wins over Ohio State in 2022 and 2021 as well as its win over Wisconsin in 2021. The lone exception was its loss to Georgia in a CFP semifinal back in 2021. New Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was promoted to co-offensive coordinator ahead of the 2021 season.
Attention Michigan natives! Don’t miss out on the action during the 2024 college football season! Here’s Saturday Tradition’s breakdown of all the best Michigan sportsbook apps that are currently on the market!
Texas as a sizable road favorite under Steve Sarkisian
On the other side, it’s worth noting that this is a spot Texas has struggled in during the Steve Sarkisian era.
The Longhorns have been favored by 6 or more points on the road on just 8 occasions over the past 3 seasons. They are 3-5 against the spread in those contests, with the covers coming against Baylor (2023), Iowa State (2023) and Kansas (2022).
Kickoff from Ann Arbor is set for 12 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.
Note: Trends via BetIQ
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.