Michigan vs. Minnesota Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 6

After cruising to four straight victories, but no covers, Michigan finally put it on an outmatched opponent, blowing out Nebraska and covering for the first time all season.

The undefeated Wolverines remain on the road to face Minnesota, who is 3-2 on the year and looking to remain competitive in the Big Ten West. Can the Wolverines demolish another middling conference foe, or can the Golden Gophers get back on track in league play?

Here are the odds for this Big Ten showdown:

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Michigan vs. Minnesota Odds, Spread and Total

Minnesota vs. Michigan Betting Trends

• Michigan is 1-4 against the spread (ATS)
• Minnesota is 1-4 ATS this season
• Minnesota didn't cover in its lone game as an underdog
• Michigan has gone UNDER in four of five games this season

Get ready for Week 6 with our betting preview for some of the biggest games on the slate!

Michigan vs. Minnesota How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, October 7
• Game Time: 7:30 PM EST
• Venue: Huntington Bank Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): NBC
• Michigan Record: 5-0
• Minnesota Record: 3-2

Michigan vs. Minnesota Key Players to Watch

Michigan

JJ McCarthy: It's been easy for McCarthy this season, completing 79% of his passes but only passing for 1,071 yards with a 10-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. With Michigan disposing of opponents with such ease, McCarthy hasn't had to showcase all that much, but he is a far improved passer, showcasing NFL upside. Will this be a game where McCarthy needs to throw to put the Wolverines up big enough in order to cover?

Minnesota

Darius Taylor: Taylor, the star freshman running back for the Golden Gophers, missed last week's game with a leg injury, but could return as soon as this Saturday against Michigan. He has been a workhorse for the rush first Minnesota offense, averaging more than six yards per carry on 87 rushes with four touches. Keep an eye on Taylor's status ahead of this one, but if he can't go it'll be fellow freshman Zach Evans at RB.

Michigan vs. Minnesota Prediction and Pick

After failing to cover the point spread in their first four games, we saw the upside of the Michigan Wolverines by rolling past Nebraska as 17-point favorites, winning 45-7 on the road by averaging nearly six yards per play.

While Michigan has somewhat coasted through its first four games, I believe we are going to see an aggressive shift as Big Ten play picks up. I especially fancy this matchup for the Wolverines as this Minnesota defense is not equipped to slow down the visitors.

The Golden Gophers are 100th in success rate on the year and will face arguably the best offensive line in college football with two future pros at running back in Blake Corum and Donnovan Edwards.

Further, Minnesota isn't a team built to come back from a big deficit, even if Taylor returns to the field after a week absence. The Golden Gophers don't have faith in Athan Kaliakmanis to throw a ton, the team is 123th in passing play percentage this season, as it leans on the ground game to put the team in managable down and distances. However, that won't come easy against a Michigan defense that is sixth in success rate.

I believe Michigan will pull away with relative ease against this limited Minnesota offense.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!