Michigan Football, Team 137, 2016 Season.

[AlabamAlum]

Agreed. 40-point spreads are trouble. A coach up 30-0 might put on the brakes or put in the 4th string. They're just trouble. Refs sometime give a favorable call or two to a team down big, too. Case in point: 2001, Bama was up 56-0 on UTEP. 4th quarter. The Miner ballcarrier stepped 3 yards out of bounds. Players stopped persuing. Ref swallowed his whistle, and let the kid run 60 yards for a TD.

[Cody_Russell]

Yes, but Hawaii's football website is ecstatic that they have Boston College's secondary coach from the last couple of seasons... you know, that top Boston College defensive team.

http://hawaiiathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1826

Really, the coaching advantage Michigan will have in this game is like the difference in quality between "The Godfather" (Michigan) and "Batman and Robin" (Hawaii).

[The Oracle]

Agreed. 40-point spreads are trouble. A coach up 30-0 might put on the brakes or put in the 4th string. They're just trouble. Refs sometime give a favorable call or two to a team down big, too. Case in point: 2001, Bama was up 56-0 on UTEP. 4th quarter. The Miner ballcarrier stepped 3 yards out of bounds. Players stopped persuing. Ref swallowed his whistle, and let the kid run 60 yards for a TD.

That and nothing worse than garbage TDs against 3rd stringers when you're up 49-3.

[jaadam4]

It just seems like a bit much for a point spread. Last years OiHo team was pretty well stocked and they only dropped 38 on them. With the exception of Indiana's OT win the only team we scored over 40 points in the regular season on was Rutgers in the 9th game.

Yes they're a cream puff and we're a much much better team but its the first game of the year and we're still figuring a lot out as a team. Its not like we have a All conference QB and stable of amazing RBs because we don't. We don't even know who our starting QB will be and our RBs are getting better but we're still in a steady growth phase right now and there will be lessons learned.

So getting back to this rant. How in the holy hell are we the top bet for winning it all this year? I love our direction but it's bananas. B a Anna...B a Anna Annas.

[lineygoblue]

I think Michigan wins, and wins comfortably.

I just think that a 41 point spread is a bit much. Harbaugh has never been a run-it-up guy (unless you're Pete Carroll), and I don't see him dropping the hammer on Hawaii.

[Ghengis Jon]

Case in point: What was the spread for Stanford/USC and who was the Stanford coach? What was the spread for Appy St/UM? Big spreads can mean big problems if you throw money at games bettors think are 'can't miss'.

[Hannibal]

Never lay points on a 40+ spread. Unless we're talking mid 90s Nebraska or FSU.

Normally I would agree but everything that I am reading about Hawaii makes them out to be the worst team that we have played since Delaware State.

[Hannibal]

That's it?

Michigan will probably win 66-0.
Like I mentioned before, it will be 6am Hawaiian time when they game starts.
Good luck Hawaii...

EDIT: Hawaii does having a lot of returning starters coming back. If experience means anything, Hawaii has it at every position except for QB.... could make that 40 point spread more tricky...
http://www.sbnation.com/college-foot...chedule-roster

I read on mgoblog that their best DL was kicked off of the team.

Also, they are playing in Australia the weekend before. Australia! They are going 13 time zones to the East in one week!

[iam416]

Hawaii is awful. Truly. I'd be inclined to give the points with some confidence.

40+ point spreads are generally probably better to avoid both ways. What's obvious is that the team favored by 40 is probably considerably better than just 40. The bet is one what happens in the 4th quarter and that gets a little too random.

I like M against Hawaii because I don't think they give up more than 7, and I don't think Hawaii can stop them. The game will slow down a ton in the 2nd half, so I'd say something like 31-0 at halftime, then 45-0, then 52-7.

OSU was just awful against Hawaii and won by 38.

[Cody_Russell]

I read on mgoblog that their best DL was kicked off of the team.
Also, they are playing in Australia the weekend before. Australia! They are going 13 time zones to the East in one week!

Yes, that is true.
However, Hawaii returns a lot of experience from their o-line, most of their two-deep from their d-line, a lot of their secondary, and literally every skills player from last season.
The question is how good this Ikaiki Woosley is at QB.

My point: Michigan will win. They will win by a lot. This 41 point spread sounds about right to me. They are Vegas, anyways.
But as we are watching, I have a feeling this will be one of those games where I get disappointed if Michigan doesn't score a TD on every* drive.

[Prime2]

OP is well aware how the odds work, that's a typo.

Not only is this a 6AM game for Hawaii, they are traveling half way around the world twice. Friday they play (for some stupid reason) Cal in Australia. 41 should be an easy cover.

Let O'korn play the first half and Speight the second. (or vice versa)

I don't think you have to worry about the points in this one, Harbaugh is not going to take his foot off the gas with his offense. Rather Meyeresque in running up the score.

Vegas is taking more money now on Michigan to win the National title than any other team, need a little luck.

[Detroit Dan]

Remember Akron:

Sept. 14, 2013
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- College football's winningest program might have just had its worst win.

Fitzgerald Toussaint scored a go-ahead, 2-yard touchdown with 2:49 left and No. 11 Michigan made a desperately needed stop on the final play to hold on for a 28-24 victory over Akron on Saturday.

Michigan (3-0) avoided getting upset at home -- as it did against Appalachian State and Toledo -- by a Mid-American Conference team with three straight one-win seasons that hasn't won a road game in nearly five years and was expected to lose by more than five touchdowns.

[Mike]

So many similarities between the 2013 and 2016 teams.

[Cody_Russell]

So many similarities between the 2013 and 2016 teams.

Hopefully not the same results.
That 2013 was annoying to watch. The Akron, UConn games... We also reaffirmed the belief that Hoke was crap in road games.
Also, the last Borges season... with Borges, Garder, and the o-line getting heat from fans for good reasons.

Can't believe that was 3 years ago. 2013 and 2014 feel like the same season to me, so maybe that's why I don't perceive 2013 as that long ago.

[The Oracle]

I don't know if you know this, but I think that was sarcasm.