Fresno State Bulldogs vs Michigan Wolverines Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 08/31/2024

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, August 31, 2024

Venue:  Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI 

Where to Watch:  NBC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Fresno +21.5, Michigan -21.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Fresno +21.5, Michigan -21.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Fresno +21.5, Michigan -21.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

Fresno State Bulldogs:  0-0 (0-0) (MWC)

Michigan Wolverines:  0-0 (0-0) (Big Ten)

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Fresno State Bulldogs:  N/A

Michigan Wolverines:  N/A

Fresno State finished last season with a 9-4 record overall and they had a 4-4 record in their conference games too.  They were 5-1 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they were also 1-0 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be on the road for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 30.5 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 23.5 points per game. Their offense also averaged 387.8 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 370.8 yards per game. Mikey Keene led the team in passing yards with 2976, Malik Sherrod led the team in rushing yards with 966, and Erik Brooks led the team in receiving yards with 788.

 

 

 

Michigan finished last season with a 15-0 record overall and they had a 9-0 record in their conference games too.  They were 7-0 in their home games, 5-0 in their road games, and they were also 3-0 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be at home for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 35.9 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 10.4 points per game. Their offense also averaged 382.7 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 247 yards per game. J.J. McCarthy led the team in passing yards with 2991, Blake Corum led the team in rushing yards with 1245, and Roman Wilson led the team in receiving yards with 789.

The current betting odds have Fresno State listed as a 21.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Fresno State was a solid team last season with their 9-4 record overall, but they struggled more in their conference games. They were only 4-4 in the MWC which means they were 5-0 in non-conference games, playing a lot better in those. They had a good offense too as they averaged 30.5 points per game and they are returning the starting QB along with some key players on offense. Skipper is taking over as head coach but he did coach them last season in their bowl game, a game that they won. Meanwhile, Michigan had a great year last season, going 15-0 overall and winning the National Championship. There has been a lot of changes though with Harbaugh leaving for the NFL and half of the team going with him to the draft. There are going to be a lot of new faces this season with Moore leading the team now, but this is still going to be a team that prides themselves on good defense and running the ball. Even in a year that they won the National Championship, Michigan only averaged 35.9 points per game since they were winning their games with good defense. They also run the offense at a really slow pace so this is going to be a really large number for them to cover with so many new faces in the starting positions. Fresno State isn't going to get shut out in this game with the offense they have and the way this Michigan offense runs, they won't score enough to cover the spread in this one. The best way to place a bet here is on Fresno State to cover the spread in this game. 

Fresno State Michigan Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, August 31, 2024 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Michigan 35 Fresno 17.

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Fresno State Bulldogs: 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games. 2-7 ATS in the first half of their last 9 games. 3-0 to the over in their last 3 road games. 

Michigan Wolverines: 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games. 8-3 ATS in the first quarter of their last 11 games. 9-3 to the first quarter over in their last 12 games. 

Fresno State Bulldogs:  J. Freeman (WR) - Undisclosed. M. Sherrod (RB) - Undisclosed. T. Grear (WR) - Undisclosed.

Michigan Wolverines:  R. Moore (DB) - Knee. J. Tuttle (QB) - Elbow.

"I was locked in on linebackers. We have new faces and some guys that I'm excited about, and just trying to get them to meet their full potential. But now, it's the entire team. [I'm] having to deal with getting familiar with the offensive guys and all that. Coaches and understanding how we just call plays and things like that. We're always tweaking in the offseason, so I've got to get those tweaks down...But I'm excited for it. I come from a coaching family, so I always had that big picture mentality. I'm ready for it." - Tim Skipper on taking over as the head coach of Fresno State.

“I think, first of all, whenever you have a new coach, obviously being a new coach, but whenever you have a new coach, there’s the unknown. There’s the not really sure. Coach Skipper has been in the system. He’s been there. He’s been with them, so he’s evolved in the culture. It’s something that’s been very successful, so I don’t see him diverging too much from what they’ve done.” - Sherrone Moore on preparing for this season opener against Fresno State. 

WR Dalena, Mac 

WR Moss, Jalen

WR James, Chedon 

TE Boust, Jake 

QB Keene, Mikey 

RB Sherrod, Malik 

WR Moore, Fredrick

WR Morris, Tyler 

WR Morgan, Semaj 

TE Loveland, Colston 

TE Klein, Marlin

QB Orji, Alex 

RB Edwards, Donovan

FB Bredeson, Max 

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Fresno State Bulldogs: Tim Skipper (1st season)

Michigan Wolverines: Sherrone Moore (1st season)