posted October 4, 2007 at 19:41 in NCAA F Articles

NCAA football bettors take note - the Michigan Wolverines continue to scratch and claw all the way back from a disastrous start. This Saturday at noon (ET), before a six-figure crowd at Michigan Stadium, they will take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles of the Mid-American Conference in what should be a breather for the Maize and Blue before resuming their Big Ten schedule. The betting odds at BetUS have Michigan listed as a 30.5-point favorite.

Michigan took advantage of five Northwestern turnovers to win a 28-16 decision last Saturday, although they did not cover the 17-point spread. Michigan is now 3-2 SU (straight-up) on the season, rebounding with three straight wins - over Notre Dame, Penn State and Northwestern - after losing the first two contests to Appalachian State and Oregon. They are now 2-0 in the Big Ten and very much in the hunt for the conference title.

Eastern Michigan has not been as successful. The Eagles gained just 173 yards in a 30-7 loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday, failing to cover the 22-point spread. For the season, EMU is 2-3 SU and 1-3 ATS. 

The last meeting between these teams took place in 2005 and Michigan won that encounter by a 55-0 margin as a 30-point favorite. The Wolverines completely dominated, rolling up a 465-134 edge in yardage. The game went under the total, which was posted at 56.5.

Michigan is exhibiting great balance in its offense, rushing for 195 yards a game and passing for 193. The team has managed to climb back to respectability using freshman Ryan Mallett at quarterback, replacing the injured Chad Henne, who finally returned to play most of the game against Northwestern and will be in action against EMU. Of course, it helps when you have a genuine Heisman contender as running back. Mike Hart is fourth in the country, averaging 152 yards per game on the ground. Michigan has been very successful in the critical third-down category, converting on 49% of their opportunities, while EMU's defense has allowed 48% conversions on third down. Also...

* Michigan is on a 7-13-1 ATS run as a home favorite
* Michigan has played all four of its "board" games under the total
* Michigan is 9-2 SU in its last 11 home games

Eastern Michigan has been outscored by an average of 8.8 points per game by its opponents. And on the defensive end, EMU is allowing 14.8 yards per point, which is not outstanding. By comparison, Michigan's yards-per-point figure is 18.1. EMU is ranked 115th in the country (fifth from the bottom) in total offense, and 110th in scoring offense, at 17 points a game. Also...

* Eastern Michigan is 4-0 ATS when playing the second of back-to-back road games
* Eastern Michigan is 6-2 ATS off a double-digit loss playing an opponent off back-to-back SU wins
* Eastern Michigan has played three of four games under the total this year
* Eastern Michigan's last five road games have gone under the total
* Eastern Michigan is 1-9 SU in its last ten road games
* Eastern Michigan is just 4-19 SU in its last 23 games

From the technical standpoint, there looks to be some edges for Eastern Michigan, a 30.5-point underdog in the betting odds at BetUS.com. Which is the fact that Michigan has failed to cover the last three times they have laid 30 points or more!

NCAA football betting has started, and BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college football Futures betting available for those of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner, Conference and Divisional winners and, of course, the 2008 BCS National Championship winner. Bet NCAA Football Futures in our sportsbook today in the Future / props section!