The Indiana Hoosiers (5-1) visit the Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) for a Big Ten showdown at 3:30 p.m. ET at Camp Randall Stadium. Below, we analyze the Indiana-Wisconsin college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions. The Hoosiers are No. 11 and the Badgers are No. 19 in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Indiana at Wisconsin: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:20 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Indiana +380 (bet $100 to win $380) | Wisconsin -500 (bet $500 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Indiana +13 (-110) | Wisconsin -13 (-110)
- Over/Under: 44.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Indiana at Wisconsin: Three things to know
- Indiana relied on its defense and ground game in a 27-11 rout of Maryland last week. QB Michael Penix Jr. exited the game with an injury in the second half, which turned out to be a season-ending torn ACL. Sophomore QB Jack Tuttle will be under center for the Hoosiers Saturday.
- Wisconsin had its previous game with Minnesota canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Golden Gophers football program. The Badgers put up a clunker their last game as touchdown-favorites with a 17-7 loss to then-No. 20 Northwestern.
- Wisconsin has owned Indiana whenever they’ve played over the past decade, going 5-0 straight up and ATS with a 47.8-point average margin of victory. The last meeting was a 45-17 Wisconsin win in 2017.
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Indiana at Wisconsin: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Wisconsin 24, Indiana 16
Money line (ML)
Officially, PASS but with a slight lean to Indiana (+380) because I am taking the points and I generally like to sprinkle on the underdog’s money line when grabbing the points. Given the absence of Penix, I’ll probably lay off Indiana’s money line.
Against the spread (ATS)
We are getting some value on Indiana because of the unfortunate injury to Penix. No doubt Penix was having a great season but Tuttle is a 4-star recruit so there’s a chance we see some quality play from Indiana’s backup.
Also, this Wisconsin team is somewhere in between its 7-point effort against Northwestern and its back-to-back 40-point performances in its first 2 games. Wisconsin’s defense grades out as top 5 across most categories but the Badgers haven’t played Ohio State yet whereas Indiana did (42-35 loss on Nov. 21).
Furthermore, there is a lot to like about this Indiana defense: 1st in opponent’s red-zone conversion percentage, 17th in sack rate and 25th in opponent’s completion percentage.
Finally, Wisconsin’s readiness is a complete wild card because of its COVID-altered schedule. The Badgers had an impromptu bye last week and were off 3 weeks in between their first and second games.
GIMME INDIANA +13 (-110) for 1 unit.
Over/Under (O/U)
Indiana’s defense knows it needs to step up with Penix sidelined due to injury. Plus, Wisconsin has blown the doors off of Indiana historically and you know this group of Hoosiers doesn’t want to get worked by the Badgers like previous seasons.
All that is baked into the projected total of 44.5. I know it’s perhaps a square play but I lean UNDER 44.5 (-110) for a half-unit. Indiana will want to shorten the game and Wisconsin naturally eats the clock (1st in net time of possession).
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