College football win totals for the 2022 season have arrived! This means that we can now bet the over/under on how many wins a certain program will have next year, which is always a fun bet to make.
Today we’re taking a look at the Division-I programs in the state of Michigan to find out what might be the best bet for each school. There are five major colleges in the state, including the University of Michigan and Michigan State, both of which are in the Big 10.
It will be interesting to see where their win totals sit and examine why they might go over or under.
Central Michigan Chippewas, Over/Under 7.5
Central Michigan Chippewas Head Coach Jim McElwain has quietly put together two of the most successful first seasons as a head coach in the nation, leading his team to 8-4 seasons both years. He also had a 10-2 season at Colorado State Rams, and took the Florida Gators to two straight SEC Championship games during his short, three-year tenure there.
He’s a phenomenal coach, and he has proven that once again during his time at Central Michigan. The problem this season to reach the over will be the fact that the team lost a massive amount of players due to graduation and the transfer portal.
Quarterback Daniel Richardson is back, and so is running back Lew Nichols, who ran for close to 2,000 yards last season. They should at least go even in their non-conference slate at 2-2, and they also managed to get Akron Zips and Bowling Green Falcons as their East competition this season. That should be about four wins right there, half of what is needed for the over. I trust McElwain and his veteran QB to overcome the losses on the roster and put together another great season.
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Eastern Michigan Eagles, O/U 6.5
We stay in the awesome MAC and take a look at the Eastern Michigan Eagles, who have been a team on the rise ever since Head Coach Chris Creighton took the reins.
The team has managed more than 6.5 regular-season wins three times in seven years under the Creighton Bluejays, and this season he has arguably the most talent he’s ever had at the school.
The offensive line returns four of five starters from a year ago, and the wide receiver unit should be one of the best in the conference. The defense was already pretty good last season, and with most of the squad returning along with a few transfers as well, it looks poised to be the same or better in 2022.
The biggest problem with the team could be a big one though, as the QB position isn’t set in stone. Austin Smith returns after hardly playing last season, and they have a few transfer QBs from the Cincinnati Bearcats and Troy Trojans, but no one has really gained an edge. If they can get solid play out of that position, they are set to go over this number.
Western Michigan Broncos, O/U 6.5
Look at all these teams that Michigan has in the MAC. I am a bit jealous as someone who lives in Illinois, because MACtion is where it is at. Taking a look at the Western Michigan Broncos, they seem to be the weakest team of the three in this conference going into 2022.
Head coach Tim Lester had his hands full after the loss of his QB Kaleb Eleby, but he was able to pick up Alabama transfer Stone Hollenbach to replace him. Lester faces the problem that collectively, only 49% of his production from last year returns, which places WMU in the bottom 10 in the country for returning production.
They had the best offense in the conference last season, and still, they only managed to snag seven wins. Now, with all of the turnover and a pretty unlucky and tough schedule that has been placed before them, it will be a hard task to ask them to match 2021’s success. I would bet the under here.
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Michigan State Spartans, O/U 8
Head Coach Mel Tucker, of all people, is about to make the Michigan State Spartans relevant again, isn’t he? He’s made a name for himself at Michigan State. Tucker was arguably the coach of the year through the first two months of the 2021 season, reeling off eight consecutive wins to start, and placing in the top 10 of the first College Football Playoff Ranking. Then he lost two of his last four games, but did manage a Peach Bowl victory and a new contract at the end of the year.
However, I feel like this win total is a bit inflated. The Spartans return 63% of their offense but lost their most explosive playmakers to the NFL Draft. While they do have QB Payton Thorne returning, along with WR Jaydon Reed, the offense will be missing the playmaking ability at running back that was Kenneth Walker. Michigan State returns 76% of a defensive unit that finished top-20 in points per opportunity against opposing offenses. They should once again be very good on that side of the ball.
The problem is that there are too many games on their schedule that are either losses or coin-flips. With the loss of their best playmaker from a season ago, and with possible regression on offense, I’m more apt to take the under than the over. However, I actually probably would just stay away for now entirely on this bet.
Michigan Wolverines, O/U 9.5
Despite the fact that Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is returning to Ann Arbor, this should be a season where the Michigan Wolverines will have to adjust to some real changes. Both offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald have left for other pastures, which leaves us with uncertainly as to how this team is going to perform.
On offense, QB coach Matt Weiss joins Sherrone Moore as co-coordinator. On the defensive side of the ball, former Baltimore Ravens assistant Jesse Minter, who served under Jim’s brother John since 2017, and will be taking over the defensive coordinator role with the Wolverines.
Still, this is a very talented team that should still be favored in most of their games, albeit maybe not by as much as they were last season. They will have a few coin-flip games in there, as well as being a huge underdog to the Ohio State Buckeyes. I don’t see any real value here in betting this, but if I were to place a wager on it, I would have to go with the under. Too many coin-flip games with a team that has new offensive and defensive schemes at work, even with all the talent they will have.
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