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The Michigan Wolverines (1-1) will take on the UNLV Rebels (0-2) on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor following last week's rout of Oregon State.
For the first time in the Jim Harbaugh era, Michigan will have a chance to build a win streak and keep improving in week three. Sure, it's a baby step, but you have to crawl before you can walk.
The run game rebounded nicely in week two's victory and the Wolverines should be able to keep trucking along against a team that should not pose much of a threat defensively.
The Rebels are led by first-year head coach Tony Sanchez, who made the leap from high school to Division-I football. Sanchez built Las Vegas Bishop Gorman into the powerhouse program it is today and UNLV rolled the dice on him to run their football team. It's a very unique story and one that looks like it is already paying dividends, but they just are not good enough to come into the Big House and cause trouble.
Quarterback is a big concern for UNLV with starter Blake Decker being sidelined with a lower-body injury. Kurt Palandech will likely get the start, which is good news for the Wolverines. In last week's loss to UCLA, Palandech completed only 4-of-15 passes for four yards and an interception. Wide receiver Devonte Boyd had 65 catches for the Rebels last season as a freshman, but he is their lone threat in the passing game.
Offensively, the Wolverines should be able to shred UNLV. The run game is improved, but still has work to do and the Rebels will likely be the ones who get worked. There will be opportunities for chunk yardage in the passing attack as well, so seeing if Jake Rudock can be efficient with the football and make good reads will be something to keep an eye on.
Michigan is a 34-point favorite in this game as of this writing. They should have no problem covering that. I have the Wolverines winning 45-10.
You can now predict the score of the game using the widget below!
Game Info
Teams: UNLV vs. Michigan
Date: September 19th, 2015
Location: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Television: Big Ten Network/BTN2Go
Radio: Michigan/IMG Sports Network (for a list of affiliates, click here)
Spread: Michigan -34
Fun Facts
- This is the first ever meeting between UNLV and Michigan in football.
- Michigan is 4-1 against the Mountain West since the conference's inception in 1999.
- Overall, Michigan is 7-0 against teams currently in the conference.
Hitting the Links: MnB's UNLV vs. Michigan Coverage
9-18: Maize n Brew Staff Roundtable: UNLV Week
9-17: Michigan vs. UNLV Matchups to Watch
9-17: Behind Enemy Lines Q&A: Mountain West Connection
9-17: Lock 'Em Up: Best Bets For Week Three
9-16: Week Three College Football TV Schedule
9-16: Getting to Know Week Three's Opponent: The UNLV Rebels
9-15: Big Ten Odds: Wolverines Holding First Half Value
9-14: Michigan Opens as Nearly Five-Touchdown Favorite vs. UNLV
9-14: Harbaugh Anticipates Big Role for Drake Johnson
Week Three College Football TV Schedule
ESPN
(11) Clemson
Louisville
(9) Florida State
Boston College
CBSS
Idaho State
Boise State
PAC12
New Mexico
Arizona State
ESPN3
Akron
ESPNU
South Florida
Maryland
BTN
Michigan
ABC
(4) Michigan State
Minnesota
Buffalo
SECN
(17) Texas A&M
ESPN2
Illinois
North Carolina
Connecticut
(22) Missouri
Wake Forest
FS1 
(16) Oklahoma
Syracuse
(23) Northwestern
Duke
(12) Oregon
FSN
Kansas State
(24) Wisconsin
ABC/ESPN2
(1) Ohio State
Cincinnati
(25) Oklahoma State
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Purdue
NBC
(14) Georgia Tech
(8) Notre Dame
Nebraska
Miami (FL)
CBS
(18) Auburn
(13) LSU
Mississippi State
Vanderbilt
ESPNN
Indiana
Washington
South Carolina
(7) Georgia
Texas Tech
Arkansas
Tennessee
NC State
Colorado
Florida
Kentucky
FOX
Cal
Texas
Rutgers
Penn State
UTEP
Pittsburgh
Iowa
Stanford
(6) USC
Oregon State
(3) TCU
Iowa State
Washington State
(15) Mississippi
(2) Alabama
(22) BYU
(10) UCLA
(21) Utah
(20) Arizona