Early spreads released for Michigan football’s 2022 season

We are less than 100 days until the official start of the 2022 college football season. Perhaps because of that milestone, earlier this week, FanDuel put out the way-too-early spreads for some of college football’s top games for this upcoming season.

It is really, REALLY early to think about, but you can make bets on these games already if you so choose. If you’re itching for some college football betting like some people here at Maize n Brew, let’s take a look at where FanDuel has Michigan in these games.

Michigan -4 at Iowa, Oct. 1

Playing at Iowa always terrifies me, especially when there’s a potential for this to be a night game at Kinnick Stadium. However, I just don’t see it out of Iowa this year. If these teams played in Ann Arbor or on a neutral field, this would be a double-digit spread.

The pick: Michigan -4

Michigan -6.5 vs. Penn State, Oct. 15

Penn State will be out for revenge following Erick All’s late-game heroics in 2021. Despite this game being at the Big House and there being a bye the following week (prior to MSU), I believe this will be closer than expected.

The pick: Penn State +6.5

Michigan -8 vs. Michigan State, Oct. 29

In the time between my first draft of this article and publication, the spread already dropped from nine to eight points. ESPN and The Athletic even go as far as ranking MSU ahead of Michigan in their way-too-early rankings for 2022. I like the Wolverines’ chances this year but this spread feels too large for an in-state rivalry.

The pick: Michigan State +8

Michigan -11.5 vs. Nebraska, Nov. 12

In what could be Scott Frost’s last chance, I can easily envision Jim Harbaugh pulling out all the stops in this one. This game is at home with lowly Illinois up the following week, so Michigan won’t be caught looking ahead just yet.

The pick: Michigan -11.5

Michigan +13.5 at Ohio State, Nov. 26

Ohio State will surely be out for revenge following Hassan Haskins’ five touchdowns in Ann Arbor in 2021’s 42-27 beatdown. CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba highlight what could be a historically potent offense, but don’t overlook Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards and company in Ann Arbor. I expect this game to be a shootout, which makes picking spreads more dangerous. For now, give me Michigan because 13.5 is just too large.

The pick: Michigan +13.5

Nationally, Michigan has the eighth best odds at winning the national championship at +5,000. The Wolverines trail only Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, Texas A&M, USC and Oklahoma. In the regular season, FanDuel has Michigan’s win total at 9.5. For context, Michigan State’s win total is at 7.5 and Ohio State’s is at 10.5.

The odds to win the Big Ten are expectedly very pro-Ohio State. The Buckeyes start at -200 with Michigan having the second best odds at +800. Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa and Nebraska are next, in that order.