No. 8 Indiana looks to continue a magical season when it hosts Michigan on Saturday. This will be the 73rd meeting between the two teams, but the first in which Indiana is ranked and Michigan in unranked in the AP poll. The Hoosiers also occupied a spot in the top 10 of the initial College Football Playoff rankings, while the Wolverines were left out.
Even though the dynamic feels different entering this contest, Michigan has been dominant against its former Big Ten East foe this century. The Wolverines are riding a three-game winning streak in the series, and their 52-7 triumph last season was their largest margin of victory against Indiana since 2000.
Michigan has won 28 of its last 29 meetings against Indiana. The Hoosiers last beat Michigan in 2020 and went on to finish 6-2 in an abbreviated season. Indiana enters the game as a 14-point betting favorite, according to DraftKings. the first time that Indiana is favored over Michigan since 1968. The Wolverines went on to win that game 27-22. If Indiana triumphs Saturday, it would be just its third win against Michigan since 1971.
It would also be a big boon towards Indiana’s College Football Playoff hopes, as a win against the reigning national champions — even if they’re in a bit of a rut — would still resonate. The Hoosiers are currently a -220 bet to make the CFP, according to DrafKings sportsbook.
Michigan vs. Indiana: Need to know
Putting Indiana’s run into context: The job Curt Cignetti has done thus far is nothing short of miraculous. The Hoosiers are 9-0 for the first time in program history, and they have a chance to secure the program’s first ever 10-win season this weekend. They’re the only Big Ten team without a 10-win season on record. Indiana has already matched its win total from the last three seasons combined and is the first FBS team in the past 50 years to start 9-0 after winning just nine games the three years prior. Indiana also has the largest year-over-year improvement in points per game (plus-40.6) of any FBS team in the last half century.
Michigan trending in opposite direction: Michigan is headed the other direction. At 5-4, Michigan already has more losses than 2021-23 combined (three). The Wolverines are the first team since 2012 TCU to lose at least four games in a single season after dropping fewer than four over the previous three seasons combined. Michigan’s 38-17 loss to Oregon in Week 10 was its most lopsided since a 23-point defeat at the hands of Georgia in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal. Michigan is also trying to avoid its first five-loss season since 2017 and, if it loses this Saturday, it will tie 2020 LSU for the worst win percentage by a reigning national champion in 70 years.
Michigan OL will have its hands full: Amid all of Michigan’s struggles passing the ball, the Wolverines can normally hang their hats on a strong rushing attack. That hasn’t been the case recently. Michigan’s offensive line, which has limped its way through a litany of injuries this year, has struggled to create running lanes in recent games. The Wolverines managed just 105 yards rushing as a team against Oregon, only 68 of which came from the running backs. It was their third straight game with fewer than 150 yards on the ground. Now they have to face an Indiana defensive front that not only holds opponents to just over 72 yards rushing per game, but also boasts the Big Ten’s best pass rusher. Hoosiers edge Mikail Kamara currently leads the Big Ten with 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. He also leads the FBS with 45 quarterback pressures. His 9.5 sacks are the most through nine games for a Big Ten edge rusher since Chase Young had 13.5 in 2019.
How to watch Michigan vs. Indiana live
Date: Saturday, Nov. 9 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Memorial Stadium — Bloomington, Indiana
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime (Try It Free)
Michigan vs. Indiana prediction, picks
Indiana is for real. The Hoosiers faced their first honest bit of adversity (besides briefly losing quarterback Kurtis Rourke to injury) when they fell behind 10-0 to Michigan State early in Week 10, trailing for the first time all season. They subsequently ripped off 47 unanswered points to secure their ninth double-digit win of the year. The law of averages says Indiana is going to get taken to the brink at some point. It won’t be this week. Michigan is spiraling and its struggling offense won’t be able to keep up, especially since Indiana boasts the Big Ten’s best rush defense. Pick: Indiana -14 (-110)
All sports betting odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Check out the latest DraftKings promo code to get in the game.
SportsLine’s proven computer model is calling for five outright upsets in Week 11 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times.
Read the full article here
