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Colorado State vs. Michigan Week 1 College Football Picks: Wolverines Roll at the Big House

Get the latest Colorado State vs. Michigan Week 1 betting tips on the spread, Over/Under, and our favorite game prop.

Mike Spector

Last Updated: August 28, 2025 7:11 PM EDT • 4 minute read

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The Michigan Wolverines play their first game since their College Football Playoff appearance, when hosting the Colorado State Rams Saturday of Week 1. We're breaking down the betting angles with our Colorado State-Michigan picks.

In many ways, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh got the monkey off his back in 2021. Michigan beat Ohio State for the first time in Harbaugh's six tries, which helped springboard the Wolverines to their first outright Big Ten title since 2003, and first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

Michigan hosts a Colorado State team that finished 3-9 last year, which led to head coach Steve Addazio's firing after going 4-12 in his two years at the helm. New head coach Jay Norvell is looking to lead the program to its first winning record since 2017.

Here are our top picks for the college football Week 1 game between Colorado State and Michigan (odds via Caesars Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Colorado State vs. Michigan Game Info

Date: Saturday, Sept. 3, noon ET
TV: ABC
Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
Weather: 88 degrees, 24% chance of precipitation, 8-mph SW winds

Colorado State vs. Michigan Odds Analysis

Michigan's point spread skyrocketed from an opening number of 27.5 to as high as 31 at some sportsbooks. The Wolverines have received 78% of the tickets and 89% of the cash.

The total has also shot up from an opening number of 57, reaching a high of 61.5. The Over so far is the popular play, landing 84% of the tickets and 77% of the cash.

Coloado State vs. Michigan Picks

Colorado State vs. Michigan ATS Pick

Michigan -30.5 (-110) ★★★

Colorado State will look completely different in 2022 as it moves on from run-heavy Adazzio to pass-crazy Norvell. Norvell brings along his Air Raid-minded offensive coordinator, Matt Mumme, from the University of Nevada. Norvell's Wolf Pack called pass plays 64% of the time last year, and that ratio should be even higher in this game if the Rams get down big early. They also brought Clay Millen from Nevada to be their quarterback. While Millen knows the system, he lacks big-game experience after backing up former Nevada QB Carson Strong all last year. Thus, a trip to the Big House is a brutal way to begin a starting career.

Michigan announced that Cade McNamara would start this game at quarterback, while J.J. McCarthy would start in Week 2, before the team evaluates its long-term plans. McNamara played all 14 games in 2021 and is a great leader who knows exactly how he fits into the offense.

McNamara had a 75 total QBR, 64.2% completion percentage, 7.9 YPA, and a 15-6 TD:INT ratio. Those were all better than McCarthy's numbers in 11 games, except McCarthy had a slightly better YPA average (8.8).

While wanting to get a good look at what McNamara offersin the long term, we expect the Michigan coaching staff to cut him loose en route to a huge victory.

Colorado State vs. Michigan O/U Pick

Over 61 (-110) ★★★★

Michigan lost seven defensive starters (return 36% of total experience) and replaced defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. While the Wolverines can count on young players like Junior Colson (fourth on the team in tackles as a freshman) and pass rusher Jaylen Harrell, they have a long way to go to reach the caliber of the current NFL players who were part of last year’s defense.

Meanwhile, Colorado State is missing its entire defensive line and both starting cornerbacks, not ideal when facing a Michigan team that is one of the most physical in the country.

Michigan lost offensive coordinator Josh Gattis from last year, but he didn't leave the cupboard bare. We expect many of the principles that made the Wolverines 16th in scoring, 24th in yards per game, and seventh in 40-plus-yard plays to remain, especially since most of the personnel is the same.

Colorado State vs. Michigan Prop Pick

First half Over 34.5 (-115) ★★

Dating back to 2005, the Over has cashed in 58.6% of Harbaugh's games, according to Bet Labs. Since we like the full game Over to cash, expect a bunch of early points from Michigan before it calls off the dogs in the second half.

In addition, Wolverines defenders are not accustomed to Air Raid style offenses, so the Rams should have success early until Michigan makes defensive adjustments.

Where to Bet on Colorado State vs. Michigan Picks

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Colorado State-Michigan picks made 8/31/2022 at 4:23 p.m. ET

Written by:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike leans on his NFL experience and always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”