The Michigan Wolverines have had their worst two-year stretch perhaps ever under Rich Rodriguez, and now, they’re solid underdogs heading into the 2010 Big Ten season.

The Big Ten football betting futures have Michigan listed at +1,200 odds to win the league, and while it is a risky bet, everyone knows that Michigan has the program in place to reload each year and is always a threat to make a run at the league crown.

The Big Ten football betting futures have clear favorites this year in Iowa and Ohio State and for good reason as both are BCS Title contenders. But does Michigan even an outside shot to win the league?

That depends a lot on how the young players progress under Rodriguez, particularly at quarterback.

When West Virginia came out of nowhere to win the Big East and went on to upset Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, it was a freshman and newcomer in Pat White at QB who led the way.

With a little luck, sophomore Denard Robinson could vault his way up to White-like status this year as the starting QB.

He started the spring game and tore it up, throwing for a 97-yard touchdown pass while showing his unparalleled speed, not just for a QB mind you, but for all positions on the field.

Robinson is blazing fast and he’s learning how to play quarterback; Rodriguez recently said that he was on the same level as White early in his career in terms of learning the offense.

If Robinson can be a starting QB and get the running game going, Michigan has a chance to have one of the most prolific offenses in the country, which they desperately need because of their average-at-best defense.

The offensive line will be powerful up the middle but the tackles are a question mark.

Running back has a lot of options and wide receiver has a ton of depth with sophomore Roy Roundtree ready to become a star.

Tate Forcier can also rotate in with Robinson and add more of a passing threat if needed.

While the defense has young stars in Craig Roh and Mike Martin on the defensive line, it will be shaky overall due to lack of secondary talent and experience. Expect a lot of high-scoring games, but UM can come out on top in a lot of them.

The schedule is where things get dicey for those who pick UM as a sleeper in the Big Ten Futures betting odds picture.

The Wolverines play at Ohio State and at Penn State which should will be extremely difficult road games.

Getting Iowa, Michigan State, and others at home will help big, however.

Considering the long odds on Michigan and the pride this program has, however, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw a few bucks on them in the Big Ten Futures betting odds because they almost beat Iowa last year and there’s a chance the offense could explode in Rodriguez’s third year.