Here’s How to Bet on College Football Week 1 Games in Michigan

• This is the first College Football season that Michigan sports bettors will be able to bet on
• Online sports betting launched in Michigan on January 22nd, 2021
• Read below for full details on how to bet college football in Michigan, along with the best sportsbooks and promos to use

The 2021-22 college football season is here. Michigan sports bettors have been chomping at the bit to get their money wagered on college football since online sports betting launched on January 22nd, 2021. Sports bettors and football fans in Michigan narrowly missed out on the 2021 National Championship game, but are here to take full advantage this college season.

Trying to figure out where you can bet on the Wolverines and other college football teams in the state of Michigan? We’ve got you covered with a full breakdown of the sportsbooks and best promos to use for this upcoming weekend.

Michigan Sportsbooks & Promos

Michigan Online Sports Betting Landscape

Sports betting skyrocketed in Michigan from the get-go, with more than $300 million in total bets rolling in the first month. College football fans will be eager to bet on their home teams this season, as both teams get underway this weekend. The Michigan Wolverines take on Western Michigan at home on Saturday, September 4th, while the Michigan State Spartans travel to play Northwestern on Friday, September 3rd.

As one of the top sportsbooks across the US, FanDuel made its entrance apparent in Michigan. They were one of the first sportsbooks to open a retail location in March 2020, along with having their sportsbook app be one of the first to launch in January 2021. DraftKings was not far behind FanDuel, opening a retail location in June 2020 and launching their app in January 2021.

How to Sign Up for an Online Sportsbook in Michigan

With tons of options listed above at top-notch sportsbooks, Michigan sports bettors won’t have any trouble getting their hands on free money. The only thing standing in the way is the registration process, and believe it or not, it’s actually a pretty simple process. For starters, here is the information you’ll need handy to sign-up:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Email Address
• Full Address
• Last 4-Digits of Social Security Number

Users in Michigan will also have to create a unique username and password at most sportsbooks. For some sportsbooks, your email address will be your username to log in. Clicking any of the promo links to sign-up will trigger the registration process with that bonus ready for you once the sign-up process is complete.

How to Claim Michigan Betting Promos

Read below for full details on how to claim these Michigan betting promos at the top sportsbooks in the state ahead of Week 1 of the college football season.

FanDuel

After signing up and creating a verified account at FanDuel, you will have a risk-free bet up to $1000 locked and loaded. Might as well use the full $1000 since there’s no risk, and you get it back in free bets if the bet loses.

FanDuel is also offering a specific Week 1 college football promo. Clemson is playing Georgia on Saturday, September 4th, and are currently -128 favorites, but if bettors opt-in to this promotion you can get either team at 30/1 odds (+3000). However, the max bet on this promo is $5, so the most you can profit is $150. Both promotions are for new users only.

DraftKings

DraftKings is offering Michigan sports betting fans two great college football promotions. The first one is bet $1 on any college football game and instantly get $200 bet credits. To activate this promo click the appropriate link and make a minimum deposit of $5 and bet $1 on any Week 1 game. The $200 is paid out in eight individual $25 free bets. Like the FanDuel promos, this is available to new customers only.

Excludes MA.

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For every 2,500 customers who bet on the over in the Georgia vs Clemson game, the total will drop 0.5 points. At the time of writing this, the total is already down to 3.5 from the original 51.5 line total. This means bettors across the country are hammering the over. This promo is for all users, but the max bet is $25, and you must select and opt-in to the odds boost prior to making your selection. The odds are boosted from -10000 to +100.

PointsBet

PointsBet has not one but six promos to offer for Week 1 of the college football season. The first one is a no-brainer. Bet $10 on any game, and if +1 point is scored, bettors will cash $125 in free bets. The other one is bet $25 on any team to win in Week 1 and get $250 in free bets.

To complete the six promos, PointsBet is offering the same exact promos but for Big Ten and SEC specific games. This means Michigan bettors can bet $25 on Michigan (Big Ten team) to beat Western Michigan at 10/1 odds (+1000)! Talk about a jump in value from -1050.

Types of College Football Bets

Before making your bets, it’s important to know the generic main bet types available for college football.

Moneyline & Spread

Moneyline and spread are the most common types of bets on college football. If you make a moneyline bet, you are simply predicting the outcome of the game. A winner and a loser. Spreads make it a little bit more complicated, but not by much.

Since some teams have a skill advantage, especially the more prestigious college football schools like Alabama or Michigan, sportsbooks calculate spreads. A spread is essentially a handicap, and it is created so that the odds are closer to even.

For example, Michigan is favored by 16.5-points against Western Michigan this weekend and are listed at -1050 on the moneyline odds. Handicappers figure Michigan will win by 17 points, but also think it’s realistic that Western Michigan can hold their own and lose by a few points less. For a more in-depth look, make sure to check SBD’s How to Bet College Football guide.

Over/Under Total

Total bets are very easy to understand. When betting on a college football total you are predicting how many total combined points will be scored by both teams. Like a spread, a handicapper will set a total at even odds depending on the two teams’ offensive and defensive tendencies.

Gill and Todd Wishnev @twishnev go over some of the most egregious plays and play calls in the Nebraska vs Illinois #collegefootball game while preaching the sanity of live-betting the sport#ANumbersGame@BeatingTheBook pic.twitter.com/mC0rX9UGPA

— VSiN (@VSiNLive) August 30, 2021

For example, the total in the Michigan game this Saturday is set at 67.5. As a bettor, if you believe there will be fewer points than 67.5 you would take the under. And vice versa if you believe the over is the right pick.

Michigan & Michigan State Week 1 Matchups

Let’s take a look at what the odds are looking like for both Michigan and Michigan State this weekend.

Michigan State vs Northwestern Odds

All odds as of September 3rd at FanDuel

Michigan State kicks off their season against Northwestern on the road as 3.5-point underdogs on Friday at 7 PM EST. This line opened at +6.0, but with lots of bets on Michigan State throughout the last two weeks, it is now listed at +3.5.

Michigan State is 3-12 against the spread in their last 15 regular-season games, while Northwestern finished with a nice 8-1 record against the spread last season. Check out our full Michigan State vs Northwestern preview before making any bets.

Western Michigan vs Michigan Odds

Michigan will take on an inter-state foe in Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines are 16.5-point favorites, with the original line opening at -17.5. Michigan beat Western Michigan 48-3 in their most recent matchup back in 2018.

Best Way to Use These Promos

There’s really only so many ways these Michigan promos can be used, but they are all definitely there for the taking. The DraftKings Hammer the Over and Bet $1 on Any CFB Game, Get $200 Free is legitimately free money, so brain power needs to be attributed to that.

That being said, using the risk-free bets at any of the sportsbooks (FanDuel, BetMGM, Barstool, WynnBET takes a little bit more strategy. Bettors should be searching for value with these bets since there are no repercussions for losing. Target small underdogs that are against popular favorites amongst the public. These lines tend to be inflated, so underdogs in this situation will provide you with much higher upside and favorable odds. Make sure to check out SBD’s College Football odds page, to see betting percentages and trends.