Michigan’s football team heads back on the road Saturday hoping for better results than in Week 2 at Oklahoma.
The 21st-ranked Wolverines open Big Ten play at Nebraska (3-0) in what oddsmakers are expecting to be a close game. Both teams are coming off blowout victories over low-tier opponents, but this should be a litmus test for each.
The Cornhuskers rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing just 66 yards per game through the air. Former five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola has had a sizzling start to his sophomore season, ranking second in the conference in passing yards per game (276.3) and passing touchdowns (eight).
Michigan’s five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood will look to outduel Raiola coming off a stellar performance against Central Michigan, throwing for 235 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 114 yards and two scores.
The Wolverines have won four straight in the series dating back to 2018. Will they make it five? MLive’s beat writers are split. Here are their predictions:
Aaron McMann
Michigan heads to Lincoln for a game I had circled as a toss-up before the season started. My opinion hasn’t necessarily changed, but I feel better about the Wolverines after Underwood’s breakout game vs. Central Michigan.
Urban Meyer this week called it a defensive coordinator’s nightmare, and I do wonder if the freshman quarterback can be an X-factor for the Wolverines and make some of the issue with the offensive line. I’m not sold on Nebraska yet either, especially after routing Akron and Houston Christian (who?). Give me Michigan in a close, low-scoring, down-to-the-wire game. Final: Michigan 24, Nebraska 20
Ryan Zuke
This is the toughest Big Ten game to pick this week. On one side, Michigan rebounded nicely after a dreary performance against the Sooners in a 24-13 loss that felt more lopsided than the final score. Its offense was explosive in all facets against CMU, with Underwood’s legs adding a new dynamic to Chip Lindsey’s unit.
Meanwhile, Nebraska earned a good win in Week 1 against Cincinnati but not great, and then it pounded two cupcake opponents to close conference play. Nevertheless, I think Matt Rhule is a great coach, and his teams always seem to have a breakout season in his third year with a program. I expect it to be close throughout, but I think the inexperienced Wolverines make just one mistake too many down the stretch to lose a heartbreaker on the road. Prediction: Nebraska 20, Michigan 17
Andrew Kahn
It’s only the first Big Ten game, yet I think we’ll look back on it as being critical to how we view Michigan’s season. I think the Wolverines are ready.
The over/under for Saturday’s Michigan versus Oklahoma matchup is set at 47.5 on Caesars. Our complete Caesars Sportsbook review provides a guide on how to register and use their platform.
It’s rare to hear such honesty from a football coach about what went wrong in a game and how the team plans to fix it. Credit Biff Poggi for admitting Michigan was too conservative against Oklahoma and wouldn’t play that way again. That message was communicated to the players. One Michigan player said this week he knew they’d “light up the scoreboard” against Central Michigan.
Is that repeatable against Nebraska? In a general sense, yes. Three specific predictions: Michigan is balanced offensively; Michigan wins the turnover battle; Dominvic Zvada returns to 2024 production levels. Prediction: Michigan 27, Nebraska 24
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