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Michigan football has second-best odds to win Big Ten championship in 2023

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•05/07/23•

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Jim Harbaugh
(Photo by Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports)

Michigan Wolverines football has won the last two Big Ten championships but isn’t the favorite to win a third straight, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Ohio State has the best chance at +165, followed by the Maize and Blue (+210).

Michigan and Ohio State are the clear-cut top two in the league, with Penn State having the third-best odds to win the championship but at +500. Wisconsin (+650), Iowa (+1400) and Minnesota (+2900) are expected to be top contenders in the West Division, but that side of the conference hasn’t won the championship since the divisions were split into their current groupings in 2014.

Michigan returns 81 percent of its production (fifth-most in college football) from a team that won 13 games for the first time in program history and made its second consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal. The Wolverines have the “best version of football” ninth-year head coach Jim Harbaugh has seen during his tenure, he said this spring.

Ohio State won four-straight Big Ten titles from 2017-20 before the Wolverines’ reign of dominance. Michigan has beaten the Buckeyes two consecutive games by a combined score of 87-50.

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The Wolverines also have the fourth-best odds to win the national championship at +1000. Georgia (+220), Ohio State (+600) and Alabama (+600) are the top-three teams per FanDuel Sportsbook. USC (+1600), LSU (+1600), Florida State (+1800), Clemson (+2000) and Penn State (+2000) are also expected to contend.

FanDuel set Michigan’s over/under win total at 10.5 games. The Wolverines are favored to win all three games in which the sports book set early lines for. However, contests at Penn State and versus Ohio State are projected to be extremely close affairs.

Here’s a look at the early game lines:

• U-M at Michigan State (+19.5), Oct. 21

• U-M at Penn State (+1.5), Nov. 11

• Ohio State at U-M (-1), Nov. 25

For the second straight season, Michigan begins its season with three non-conference games against Group of Five opponents in East Carolina (Sept. 2), UNLV (Sept. 9) and Bowling Green (Sept. 23). Michigan does avoid playing crossover games against Wisconsin and Iowa but does take on Minnesota in Minneapolis and Nebraska in Lincoln. Returning Big Ten West champ Purdue will come to The Big House Nov. 4.

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