Bowling Green vs. Michigan: College Football Week 3 Odds & Picks (2023)
Gear up for another awesome weekend of college football action with BettingPros! We’ll have you covered with all of our top picks for the week along with our projected spreads and totals to help guide your college football bets. Below are our top picks and predictions for Saturday’s game: Bowling Green vs. Michigan.
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Top College Football Odds & Picks: Bowling Green vs. Michigan
Bowling Green vs. Michigan
The Wolverines are massive favorites in the final game of Jim Harbaugh’s self-imposed suspension. However, Michigan has failed to cover the last two times out as 36 and 38-point favorites against East Carolina and UNLV. The Wolverines appear to be running on autopilot a bit, as it’s fair to say their season doesn’t truly start until October when they face Michigan State, if not even later. The question is whether Bowling Green can do enough to get within this massive number. Statistically, the Falcons rank much better on both sides of the ball than both ECU and UNLV do. But that’s come against two unheralded opponents in Eastern Illinois and Liberty. I also always get squeamish trusting the MAC to cover these massive lines, given the conference’s overall talent disparity. Rather than sweat out Bowling Green keeping this game within 40, I’ll instead lean toward the under. Michigan’s first two games have fallen well below the closing total, and I suspect we’ll see a similar script in their final non-conference game. The Wolverines will look to get up early, then pull starters in the second half as they prepare for their Big Ten opener against Rutgers. Could Michigan still sleepwalk their way to a cover? Absolutely. But with a 41-point spread and a total at 53.5, oddsmakers are anticipating a 42-10 game. And I’m not sure BGSU can crack double digits. It’s ugly, it’s not my favorite bet on the board, but I’ll lean with the under.
Pick: Under 53.5 (-110)
-Matt Barbato
Best Ways to Bet College Football for Beginners
Game Total
Bettors new to the hobby can be confused by spreads, but game totals are simple. Every football game has a total posted for the combined final score between the two teams. Bettors have the option to choose the OVER or UNDER, generally at -110 odds (risk: $110; win: $100). So if the total is 42 and you take the OVER, you need 43 points to win the bet. If you put a bet down on the over to win $100 and it goes over, you get back the money you initially risked, plus $100. If it stayed under, you would have lost your $110 and that's it. If by chance the game ended with 42 total points, it's called a push; when a game pushes, you get the money you risked back but nothing more.
ie: California vs. Illinois, Over 42 or Under 42
tip: Over bets can be a really fun social event with your buddies. Have everyone throw in a few bucks, then take the over together. Instead of getting pumped when one side scores, everyone is pumped for ANY score, all game.
Moneyline
The moneyline is the easiest way to test your college football knowledge: who will win the game? That's it. The moneyline doesn't use favorites or underdogs, it's totally straight up. That said, the risk-reward can be challenging because they're weighted. Instead of every game being around -110, like game totals and spreads, moneylines vary depending on the matchup.
For our example, California was favored by seven points over Illinois, meaning oddsmakers think the Golden Bears are a touchdown better than the Fighting Illini. If you took Cal on the moneyline, points don't matter, they just need to win the game. But because it's safer to take them straight-up without points, you'll have to risk more when you make the bet - remember, they're seven points better than Illinois in the eyes of the oddsmakers. In this case, Cal is -280 on the moneyline, so if you want to win $100, you have to risk $280. On the flip side, moneyline bets can be valuable when taking the underdog because it's a riskier bet - they're seven points worse than their opponent. In this case, Illinois is the underdog - +220 on the moneyline. You'd win $220 on a $100 bet if you picked Illinois on the moneyline and they pulled off the upset.
ie: California (ML -280) vs. Illinois (ML +220)
tip: Check their history against one another. Keep an eye on the injury report and the weather.
Player Props
Player props are some of the most exhilarating bets you can place during a college football game, but they're also easy to understand. For major conferences, you'll have a wide array of options to choose from. Quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, and sometimes tight ends will have props to choose from. It's simple, fun and easy to follow, and odds on player props don't vary as much as moneylines. Generally, prop bets are in the -110 range like generic spread and total bets.
ie: How many passing yards will Brandon Peters have against California? Over 250 or Under 250
tip: Check how players have performed in the situation they're going to be in. Use split stats on any reliable site to see their numbers at home, on a neutral-site, in December, etc.
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