Michigan football 16-1 odds to win Big Ten; Michigan State football listed at 100-1

Michigan football has defeated Michigan State in three of the last four seasons, most recently by a 44-10 margin in Ann Arbor. The Spartans went on to finish 4-5 in the Big Ten, while the Wolverines ended 6-3 but still couldn't get past Ohio State.

Las Vegas expects more of the same this season.

According to SuperBook USA, U-M is listed at 16-1 odds to win the Big Ten, tied for fourth-best in the league. MSU has 100-1 odds alongside Northwestern and Purdue. The only teams lower than the Spartans are Illinois and Maryland at 300-1 and Rutgers at 1,000-1.

Ohio State leads the Big Ten with 2-5 odds to secure the championship for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Penn State and Wisconsin (7-1). Minnesota has the same odds as Michigan.

The Wolverines, under head coach Jim Harbaugh for the sixth season, will enter the 2020 season with a new starting quarterback and questions to answer on both sides of the ball. U-M has yet to play in the Big Ten championship game in its nine-year existance.

Unlike Michigan, the Spartans are under new leadership in first-year coach Mel Tucker, who came over from Colorado after Mark Dantonio retired in February. Tucker was 3-6 against conference foes in his lone Pac-12 season, finishing second-to-last in his division.

More on college's return to sports:

Michigan athletics brings back three teams for voluntary workouts with protocols

New MSU norm: Joyful air hugs, elbow bumps and COVID-19 testing

CMU leads in-state MAC odds

If neither the Wolverines nor Spartans can pull off a conference championship in 2020, it's possible another team in the state could strike gold within the Mid-American Conference.

In its second year under coach Jim McElwain, Central Michigan has 8-1 odds to win the MAC, according to SuperBook USA, tied for fourth-best in the league.

[ Central Michigan football players return to campus for voluntary workouts; EMU sets date ]

Last season, the Chippewas were picked to finish at the bottom after a 1-11 campaign in 2018, but the newly acquired McElwain led his team to a MAC West Division championship and an appearance in the title game.

Western Michigan has 12-1 odds, while Eastern Michigan is at 80-1.

In 2019, WMU and EMU finished 5-3 and 3-5, respectively, in conference play. CMU was 8-6 overall and 6-2 in the MAC.

Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.