The No. 12 Michigan Wolverines (3-1) will try to build off their big win over then-No. 11 USC when they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-2) on Saturday afternoon. Michigan relied heavily on its rushing attack in the 27-24 win over the Trojans, racking up 290 rushing yards. Minnesota will look to slow down the Wolverines following its 31-14 loss to Iowa last week. The Golden Gophers were severely outmatched last year, as Michigan cruised to a 52-10 road win during its national title campaign.

Kickoff is set for noon ET at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are 10.5-point favorites, per SportsLine consensus, in the latest Michigan vs. Minnesota odds. The over/under for total points is 34.5. Before entering any Minnesota vs. Michigan picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also coming off a profitable 13-9 season on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.

The model has set its sights on Minnesota vs. Michigan. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the game:

Michigan's Rushing Attack vs. Minnesota's Defense

While Michigan looks like an exploitable team this season due to its one-dimensional offense, this Minnesota roster is not built to take advantage. The Golden Gophers gave up a whopping 272 rushing yards in their 31-14 loss to Iowa last week, as the Hawkeyes finished with just 62 passing yards. Wolverines senior running back Kalel Mullings rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans last week, while senior Donovan Edwards added 74 yards.

They are both in line for huge performances on Saturday against a leaky Minnesota defense. The Golden Gophers have only covered the spread twice in their last 11 games in this head-to-head series, and they have failed to cover in five straight games against Big Ten opponents. Michigan is 10-5 against the spread in its last 15 games and has won 18 of its last 19 games outright.  See which team to pick here. 

Michigan's Passing Attack Struggles

Michigan's lack of a passing threat almost came back to bite the Wolverines, as they needed one huge run in the final moments to set up the game-winning touchdown. They routinely struggled to record first downs in the second half, and Minnesota will be able to stack the box on Saturday. Michigan quarterback Alex Orji has not established himself as a reliable passer, throwing just 12 passes last week. 

Minnesota's Offense: A Glimpse of Hope?

Minnesota held a 14-7 halftime lead against Iowa last week before struggling in the second half. Quarterback Max Brosmer has thrown for 836 yards and five touchdowns, while running back Darius Taylor is averaging 6.3 yards per carry. The Golden Gophers are 8-3 in their last 11 September games. See which team to pick here. 

The Model's Prediction

The model has simulated Minnesota vs. Michigan 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in more than 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Michigan vs. Minnesota, and which side of the spread is hitting more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Minnesota vs. Michigan spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that's up well over $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks since its inception, and find out.

The Little Brown Jug Remains in Ann Arbor

There is only one way that the Gophers win this game, slowing the Michigan rushing attack. Unfortunately, the Gophers since last season have shown in Big Ten play that they struggle to do just that. Over the Gophers last four conference games they have allowed 200+ rushing yards in four straight games, opponents averaging 276 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry. Unsurprisingly, the Gophers lost each of those four games by at least two scores.

Assuming Alex Orji is the quarterback for the entirety of Saturday's matchup, the Michigan passing attack will not be a threat. He threw for just 37 yards against USC last weekend on 12 attempts. Backup quarterback Davis Warren is a better passer but won't light it up either, he has a 66.7% completion percentage this fall for 444 yards in three games while also throwing two touchdowns and six interceptions.

In a lot of ways it's very similar to last week's 31-14 loss to Iowa. Cade McNamara is a shell of the former quarterback he was and early on the Gophers were able to slow down the Iowa rushing attack, however in the second half, they became undisciplined defensively and Kaleb Johnson was off to the races.

The good news for the Gophers perhaps is that this Michigan defense, while still dangerous, has not played to the same level as it has in years past, at least yet this season. The Wolverines are allowing 20.8 points and 323 yards per game this season including opponents passing for 246.5 yards per contest.

That number isn't a fluke either, that was inflated by Texas and USC as Fresno State and Arkansas State also had success through the air with 235 and 222 passing yards respectively in their losses to the Wolverines.

That being said, the Wolverines are very good against the run this season, allowing just 3.1 yards per carry and have kept three of four opponents below 100 yards for a game though USC did average 4.6 yards per game last weekend. Either way, the Wolverines strength defensively this season is certainly their run defense instead.

With all that being said, on Saturday, our pick to win is.... the Michigan Wolverines.

The pick comes down to the Gophers inability to slow down conference rushing attacks dating back to last season and Michigan's rushing attack is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous than the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Wolverines have not just one but two dangerous tailbacks in Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards.

While we think this one could be close and we think the Gophers offense will find some success, we're just not sure that the Gophers have enough talent in the passing attack to successfully beat Michigan's secondary on a routine basis Saturday. If they're going to win, Max Brosmer will have to have his best game yet this season.

Prediction: Michigan 27 - Minnesota 16