NCAA Football
2026-10-31 - Michigan Wolverines at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Week 9
Saturday 31st October 2026 - Scheduled 12:30pm EST
4:30pm (British Time)
Preview
They lost just three games in the final three seasons under Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and that run concluded with the Michigan Wolverines (4-3) winning the National Championship as an unbeaten team in 2023.
Jim Harbaugh decided to head back into the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Michigan Wolverines are onto their second permanent Head Coach since that departure. The last two seasons have seen the Wolverines lose seven games and they have already suffered three defeats this season with all of those coming in the Big Ten where the team are 1-3.
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham will be given time, but he is well aware that his team needs an Offensive spark if they are going to try and finish this season with some momentum. The hopes of returning to the Playoffs look to have ended after that third Big Ten defeat last week against the Indiana Hoosiers, but there is still plenty for Michigan to play for and that is especially the case for Quarter Back Tommy Carr who has shown more than the opening starter Bryce Underwood.
Giving Tommy Carr the rest of the season may help in the development and have the Wolverines challenging much higher in the Big Ten in twelve months time and he is reportedly going to have the chance to play on the road for the first time.
It is the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-5) who will host and they also have a 1-3 record in the Big Ten, but some of the Defensive problems that have been evident all season will give Michigan plenty of encouragement.
In the four Big Ten games played, Rutgers have allowed opponents to score at least 30 points, but that number becomes at least 42 points when only focusing on the three defeats.
The question is whether the Michigan Wolverines can exploit the problems in the same way as so many of the Conference rivals have been able to do and that all begins on the Line of Scrimmage. The Scarlet Knights have been bullied on this side of the ball, but Michigan's Offensive Line have not been very productive all season, which has put additional pressure on the Quarter Back regardless of who has been standing behind Center.
Assuming Tommy Carr will be given the opportunity, he will note that this Rutgers Secondary have struggled to make plays in recent games, while the lack of a pass rush should mean there is more time to go through his reads. This should be a benefit for the Wolverines as they look to show they can play with some confidence on this side of the ball.
However, the main reason the Wolverines have been competitive in games is the Defensive unit and they will be looking to aid the Offense by finding some turnovers or dominate the field position.
As the Scarlet Knights have moved into the Conference play, the Offensive output has diminished and they cannot expect to have a lot of change from this Wolverines team. The Michigan Defensive Line will make Rutgers have to scratch and claw for every yard gained, and that can wear down teams, while the Wolverines Secondary have only allowed an average of 161 passing yards per game even during a run of games where they have finished 1-2.
It is a Secondary that have found turnovers and that does not bode well for the Rutgers passing game that will be run by a backup Quarter Back after Dylan Lonergan was ruled out.
The last time Michigan and Rutgers met one another on the football field was back in 2023 and it was the Wolverines who won easily, while the year before they blew out the Scarlet Knights on the road.
This is a big spread when you think of the Wolverines Offensive woes, but the match up is about as good as Michigan could hope for and you can expect this Defensive unit to step up and make enough plays to give the team a chance of covering.
Prediction
The road favourites have been well backed and they may do enough to get past the line set for this Big Ten game.
The Pick :
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 10-27 Michigan Wolverines
