Hawaii Warriors vs. Michigan Wolverines Betting Odds, College Football Pick

Just as teams must adjust when traveling to play at Hawaii, the Warriors have to adjust when they visit the mainland. Lately, they haven't done a good job of it, losing their last seven road games in a row and going just 2-5 against the spread.

This week, Hawaii takes on a brutal challenge, traveling 9,500 miles away from where it played last week and visiting revitalized Michigan on Saturday at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

Point spread: The Wolverines opened as 40.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 45.0-3.4 Wolverines

Why the Hawaii Warriors can cover the spread

Hawaii opened its season last week with a 51-31 loss to Cal down in Sydney, Australia, but the Warriors covered as 21-point underdogs. Hawaii traded touchdowns with the Bears to a 14-14 tie, later trailed by 27 but scored a late touchdown to steal the cash. The Warriors actually ran the ball for 248 yards, but five turnovers proved costly.

Hawaii returned 15 starters for its fresh start under new head coach Nick Rolovich. Nine starters came back on offense, including senior quarterback Ikaika Woolsey (20 career starts), last season's top three receivers and four along the offensive line. And six starters came back on defense, including three of the front four.

The Warriors are going through a learning curve with the new regime, but at least they have a base with which to work.

Why the Michigan Wolverines can cover the spread

The Maize and Blue are expected to contend for the Big Ten title this season and a spot in the College Football Playoff, and why not? The Wolverines return 14 starters from a team that went 10-3 last year.

Eight starters are back on offense, including last year's leading rusher, the top two receivers, a great tight end and four along the offensive line. And that's not to mention transfer quarterback John O'Korn, who threw a total of 34 touchdown passes in 16 starts for Houston a few seasons ago. Meanwhile, six starters are back on a defense that limited foes to just 281 yards and 16 points per game last year.

Smart pick

Michigan is going to win this game; the only issue is the final margin. Also, Hawaii might be down a starter or two on defense, pending extended suspensions. But as often happens with games featuring top-ranked teams that play at home, the spread on this game is probably inflated by at least a touchdown. If Hawaii can run the ball a bit and cut down on the turnovers, it could cover.

Betting trends

Michigan is 5-2 SU and ATS in its last seven games in Week 1.

The total has gone over in Michigan's last seven games as a favorite of 41.5 points or less.

The total has gone under in nine of Hawaii's last 12 games as the road underdog.

All point spread and betting lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Odds Shark on Twitter and YouTube for injury information, line movement updates and more game analysis and get the free odds tracker app.