How and what to watch for No. 18 Michigan vs. No. 21 Minnesota

The marquee game of the Big Ten’s return to play this Saturday will be a ranked vs. ranked battle in Minneapolis as No. 18 Michigan will travel to TCF Bank Stadium to take on No. 21 Minnesota in the annual Battle for the Little Brown Jug.

Coming off a 9-4 campaign that ended with losses to Ohio State and Alabama, Jim Harbaugh will have a new quarterback under center as his team kicks off the 2020 season. Redshirt sophomore Joe Milton will lead the Wolverines into the new year and despite having some faces on the offensive line, he’ll have running backs Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins to lean on.

Trending upwards as a program under fourth-year head coach P.J. Fleck is Minnesota, who capped a successful 11-2 campaign last year with a victory over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Gopher fans have a lot to be excited about with the return of all-conference quarterback Tanner Morgan, who threw for over 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2019. Initially opting out, wide receiver Rashod Bateman decided to suit up for the 2020 season after catching 60 passes for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Michigan vs. Minnesota Saturday, October 24th at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and you can stream it via the ESPN app or with a cable or streaming login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Michigan (-3.5) at Minnesota
Point Total: O/U 53.5
Money line: Michigan (-167), Minnesota (+135)

• The favorite has covered the spread in each of Michigan’s last six games.
• Each of Minnesota’s last six October games as a home underdog have gone OVER the total points line.
• Minnesota is 4-7-1 against the spread as a home underdog under P.J. Fleck.

The Best Bet

Tackling has been a major issue across college football with the lack of practice reps due to Covid. With the tandem of Morgan/Bateman taking the field on one side and a dynamic running back tandem on the other, this has the potential to get pointsy.

Pick: Over 53.5

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