Michigan football game score vs. East Carolina: Season opener at Big House

Michigan will open its highly anticipated 2023 college football season on Saturday when the second-ranked Wolverines face off against East Carolina in Ann Arbor.

Michigan will try to score a win vs. the Pirates without ninth-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, who will serve the first game of a three-game suspension imposed on him by the university as punishment for the program committing a Level I NCAA violation. In his absence, the team will be led by co-defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

The Wolverines bring back many of their top weapons from a team that went undefeated in the regular season in 2022, won the Big Ten and advanced to the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season, where it lost to TCU. They feature arguably the top backfield in the sport with running backs Blake Corum — who rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns last season — and Donovan Edwards, who rushed for 991 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. They have one of the better quarterbacks in the sport in J.J. McCarthy, who threw for 2,719 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions last season.

East Carolina went 8-5 last season, its most wins since 2014. Under fifth-year head coach Mike Houston, who led James Madison to an FCS championship in 2016, the Pirates have finished with winning records in back-to-back seasons. East Carolina was picked sixth among 14 teams in the American Athletic Conference in the league’s preseason poll.

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Here's everything you need to know about the game, including time, date, TV and streaming info, and more:

What channel is Michigan vs. East Carolina today?

• Stream: Peacock

Michigan vs. East Carolina won't be broadcast on TV. Instead, it will air exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform. Mike Tirico and Chris Simms will call the game from the booth while Lewis Johnson will be the sideline reporter.

Michigan vs. East Carolina start time

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 2

• Time: Noon ET

The Wolverines and Pirates will kick off their season openers at noon ET at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Michigan vs. East Carolina betting odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday morning:

• Spread: Michigan (-36.5)

• Over/under: 52.5 points

• Moneyline: Michigan -10000 | East Carolina +2000

Michigan schedule 2023

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East Carolina 2023 schedule

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Michigan football game score vs. East Carolina: 2023 season opener