Fresno State vs Michigan Prediction College Football Picks 8/31/24

On defense, Korey Forman comes over from USC to oppose top pass rusher Devo Bridges up front for the Bulldogs while Malachi Langley is back at linebacker after leading Fresno State with 84 tackles last season. Al’zillion Hamilton is back in Fresno’s secondary while Dean Clark is back at safety after logging 83 tackles last year.

Why the Fresno State Bulldogs will win

• Fresno State has won each of its last six games against non-conference opponents.
• Michigan has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked teams at Michigan Stadium.
• Fresno State has covered the spread in five of its last six games against non-conference opponents.

Michigan Team Preview

The Michigan Wolverines come into the 2024 season as your defending national champions, finishing the year 15-0 including a 9-0 mark in Big Ten play to earn a spot in the conference title game. The Wolverines knocked off Iowa 26-0 in the Big Ten championship before upending Alabama in overtime in the Rose Bowl/CFP Semifinal and then taking down Washington 34-13 in the national championship.

The Jim Harbaugh era in Ann Arbor is over, opening the door for Sherrone Moore to take over for his predecessor after serving as acting head coach while Harbaugh was suspended last year. Alex Orji takes over from J.J. McCarthy and Orji has the size and wheels to be a dual-threat monster for the Wolverines, but there are a lot of question marks after Orji went without throwing a pass last year. The Wolverines will have to replace Blake Corum as well, but Donovan Edwards is up to the task after averaging 4.2 yards per carry last year and Kalel Mullings is a nice 1-2 punch alongside Edwards at 239 pounds with 6 yards per carry last season. The wide receiving group is green, but Colston Loveland is going to be one of the better tight end options in the country after logging 649 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns with 45 receptions last season.

On defense, Wink Martindale takes over at defensive coordinator to keep the pressure up after Michigan had the best defense in the country last season. Mason Graham will hold down the fort alongside Kenneth Grant on the line while Josiah Stewart and Derrick Moore flank Earnest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham at middle linebacker. Will Johnson leads Michigan’s secondary while Jyaire Hill and Ricky Johnson will hold down the other corner positions while Zeke Berry and Ja’Den McBurrows will have the job at safety for the Wolverine defense.

Why the Michigan Wolverines will win

• Michigan has won each of its last 22 games at Michigan Stadium.
• Fresno State has lost nine of its last 10 games against AP-ranked teams.
• Michigan has covered the spread in each of its last four games.
• Fresno State has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four road games.

Fresno State vs. Michigan Prediction

I’m leaning towards the under here. I might get on Fresno State as well if this line stays above three touchdowns, but the Bulldogs didn’t see a defense close to this one last year and even with a fair amount of turnover, the defense for Michigan is likely going to be a force once again, and one that I don’t know if Fresno can figure out.

On the other side, I think Michigan’s offense may come out a bit flat and take some time to get going and there have been spots where Michigan’s been guilty in the past of playing with their food and kind of coasting. It wouldn’t surprise me if we saw that in the season opener as well off of their national championship. Give me the under here.