Vegas Sportsbook Sets Line for Michigan, Michigan State Win Totals

One sign that we’re getting closer to football season comes when the Las Vegas sportsbooks start releasing their betting odds for each team’s upcoming season. The Hilton beat everyone to the punch Sunday, pushing out their win total over/under lines for 35 college football teams, including Michigan and Michigan State.

And what’s surprising here? The Hilton’s putting pretty similar stock in the two teams’ chances in 2011.

The Hilton set Michigan’s win total at 7 (-130) and Michigan State at 7.5 (-120) — if it’s not obvious to you non-gamblers out there, you’re placing a bet on whether a team will come in over or under the set win line.

Other teams of note from the 35 chosen Sunday: Oklahoma (10 wins), Nebraska (9.5), Wisconsin (9.5), Penn State (7.5) and Notre Dame (8.5).

What’s this all mean for the 2011 football season? Not much. But the close lines between Michigan and Michigan State should give you some indication how difficult the Spartans’ schedule looks in late July. MSU plays three of its first four at home — Youngstown State, Florida Atlantic and Central Michigan — but faces road games at Notre Dame, Ohio State, Nebraska, Iowa and Northwestern, plus home games vs. Michigan and Wisconsin.

Despite that, there are probably some Spartans fans out there who would argue that Michigan State’s a lock to top that 7 1/2-win threshold this season. Last year’s MSU team went 11-1 during the regular season, and this year’s team returns a lot of the key contributors.

Michigan, meanwhile, is right at the same spot in Vegas’ eyes that it was last year — most books sent the Wolverines off at a seven-win line prior to 2010, too. The Wolverines hit that mark on the nose, finishing 7-5 in Rich Rodriguez’s last season, before dropping their bowl game. And despite Denard Robinson’s return and a five-game homestand to start the year, the expectations aren’t any higher for U of M in 2011.

Michigan hitting its Vegas-predicted win total would make for a decent-enough Brady Hoke debut. Michigan State landing at seven or eight wins would be a big letdown for the Spartans after last season’s breakthrough.