Connecticut at Michigan

Written by Jack Jones

The Connecticut Huskies visit the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, September 4th at 3:30 EST on ABC. This is one of the biggest games in Week 1 of the season, and college football odds show Michigan -3 over Connecticut with a total set of 54.5 points.

Connecticut is coming off an 8-5 season which included a 3-4 mark in Big East play. But this team played much better than their record would indicate, with all five of their losses coming by 4 points or less. They lost to North Carolina by 2, Pittsburgh by 3, WVU by 4, Rutgers by 4 and to Cincinnati by 2. Connecticut will return eight offensive and eight defensive starters, so they have plenty of talent coming back. That’s why many have picked the Huskies to finish much higher in the Big East polls this season.

Head coach Randy Edsall and company should be a little concerned with all the preseason hype though, as usually they have been able to sneak up on people but that won’t be the case this year. With QB Zach Frazer back to lead an offense that scored 31.2 PPG a year ago, the Huskies should pick up right where they left off and put up a ton of points this year. RB Jordan Todman is the focal point of the offense after rushing for 1,188 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, and he’ll be running behind four returning starters along the offensive line. The defense was respectable last season, giving up 23.6 PPG. But they should be better this season with eight returning starters as long as they avoid giving up the big play.

Michigan went 5-7 last season and head coach Rich Rodriquez is squarely on the hot season. The Wolverines are now 8-16 in his two years here, and anything short of a bowl berth this season may lead to his firing. But the third year is usually where a coach’s recruiting starts to show, and for these upper-classmen they should have a good grasp on his system now.

As of this writing, Rodriquez has not announced who will start at quarterback Saturday. He actually listed three starting QB’s on the depth chart, which is mainly so Connecticut won’t have time to prepare for a certain player. But it’s basically down to sophomores Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. Players have been down on Forcier’s worth ethic, and Robinson is more of a Pat White protégé who would fit the system the best. Michigan did put up 29.5 PPG last year and seven offensive starters return. The defense yielded 27.5 PPG a year ago, but improvement looks promising considering they have eight returning starters on this side of the ball.

Jack’s Free Prediction: Connecticut Huskies +3 - I’m pretty high on the Huskies this year considering all five of their losses came by four points or less last season, and 16 starters return from that team. This could be their year to break through in the Big East, and I certainly think they have what it takes to beat Michigan in the Big House. Though I am not releasing a premium play in this game, I would take the 3 points on the Huskies with a good shot to win this game outright if you forced my hand.

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