Michigan footballs run as a double-digit favorite appears over

The streak lasted six games, but for the first time all season Michigan football is no longer a double-digit favorite to win a football game.

This week, the number is just a touchdown.

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The Wolverines opened as seven-point betting favorites for their game against No. 10 Penn State on Saturday (Noon, FOX) at Circa Las Vegas, where the first college football lines are released every Sunday. The opening total was set at 51 1/2 points.

Those numbers have remained stable as sports-book operators in Michigan have opened their lines. DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, PointsBet and BetRivers all listed Michigan as 7-point favorites as of this writing on Sunday evening. BetMGM was the outlier in the market, hanging Michigan -7.5.

The totals, too. Most books are currently at 51, while BetMGM and DraftKings are offering 51.5 for those of you looking to take the under.

More: UM football falls in AP Top 25 after win at Indiana

Saturdays game will pit a pair of top-10 teams looking to separate themselves in the Big Tens competitive East Division. As things currently stand, Michigan and Ohio State both carry a 6-0 overall record and a 3-0 mark in the conference, while Penn State is 5-0 and 2-0 in Big Ten play.

It will also mark the first ranked opponent the Wolverines have faced all season, giving further credence to the critics who claim Michigan has played a favorable schedule. UM has closed as betting favorites of 10 points or more in all six games, and 21-plus points or more in four of them.

So far this year, Michigan is 3-3 against the spread, a record that includes a 2-2 ATS mark at home and 1-2 in Big Ten play. More interestingly, the Wolverines have failed to go over the total in every game this season, falling under in five and hitting the total in one.

Meanwhile, Penn State is 3-2 ATS this season, including a perfect 2-0 record on the road. Three of the Nittany Lions five games have gone over their projected total.

Michigan is 15-10 all-time against Penn State and won last years meeting, 21-17, in State College. The last time the two teams played in Ann Arbor was 2020, a game the Wolverines lost, 27-17.

Read more on Michigan football:

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Michigan may be down another Offensive lineman due to injury

Overheard outside UM Locker room: A Halftime challenge and seeing red

Mike Hart stable in hospital after sideline scare

Takeaways, observations from Michigan’s Victory over Indiana