Central Florida @ Michigan preview

Sixth-ranked Michigan hopes to continue where it left off in its season opener when it hosts UCF on Saturday. The Wolverines looked every bit the part of national championship contenders as they dominated every facet of the game in a 63-3 rout of Hawaii to move up two spots in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

"Many players played and played well which is good for morale," Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. "Guys that worked extremely hard all along got to contribute so it was good for our team." The victory came at a cost for Michigan as starting defensive end Taco Charlton limped off with an ankle sprain and nose tackle Bryan Mone suffered a leg injury that will force both players to miss the first-ever meeting between the Wolverines and Knights. UCF ended a 13-game slide by shutting out FCS program South Carolina State 38-0 to hand Scott Frost a win in his head coaching debut. UCF, which had gone 639 days without a win, hopes that Frost's new up-tempo offense can stymie a Michigan defense that recorded four sacks, two interception returns for touchdowns and 10 tackles for loss against the Rainbow Warriors.

TV: Noon ET, ABC. LINE: Michigan -35.5

ABOUT UCF (1-0): Justin Holman struggled with his accuracy as he went 14-of-28 for 193 yards but threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in the win against South Carolina State. Tre'Qaun Smith caught four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown while Matthew Wright matched a single-game school record with four field goals. "I am excited to see how good they can get if they keep on working," Frost told reporters. "I don't want our kids to be afraid to play anybody and I think our guys are ready to go up there and look that challenge in the face and take swings at them."

ABOUT MICHIGAN (1-0): Wilton Speight, who emerged as the winner in the quarterback battle with John O'Korn, bounced back from an interception on his first throw to finish 10-of-13 for 145 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start. Linebacker Mike McCray was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after registering nine tackles, including 3.5 for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble in his first game after missing last season with a shoulder injury. Chris Evans enjoyed a sparkling debut as he rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns to become the third player in school history to run for more than 100 yards in his first game, and was one of 18 true freshmen who played against Hawaii.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Michigan is 22-5-1 against teams currently in the American Athletic Conference.

2. Wolverines TE Jake Butt has caught at least one pass in 17 consecutive games.

3. UCF is 6-1 all-time against teams from the state of Michigan.

PREDICTION: Michigan 49, UCF 10