Michigan State football has opened as a monster underdog in their annual in-state rivalry game with the Wolverines.
DraftKings has released betting lines for their “games of the year” of the upcoming season, and that happened to include the Spartans road trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. in early November. To no surprise, Michigan State is an underdog in this year’s rivalry matchup, but the points spread may be bigger than you’d think.
Michigan State is listed as a 17.5-point underdog vs. the Wolverines. That line would suggest the oddsmakers are expecting Michigan to win this year’s rivalry game by three possessions.
Both Michigan and Michigan State will enter this upcoming season under new coaching staffs but the preseason expectations are very different for the Spartans and Wolverines. At least at the national level, where the Spartans are projected to struggle to reach a bowl game, while the Wolverines are considered a contender for the College Football Playoff.
Considering how the rivalry has played out the last few years, this points spread is not surprising. I’d like to say Michigan State would cover that spread and even make it more narrow before they kickoff the game on November 7. But right now, that’s hard to predict given the unknowns for both the Spartans and Wolverines this upcoming season.
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This article originally appeared on Imagn Images: Betting line released for MSU-UM football rivalry game this upcoming season
Reporting by Robert Bondy, Spartans Wire / Imagn Images
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By Robert Bondy, Spartans Wire | USA TODAY Network
