Tag: Indiana Hoosiers

Big Ten Football Week 14 Rooting Interests

With one week left in the college football season, bowl pictures are beginning to shape up. Here is what every Big Ten team should root fo.

We have already looked at what Ohio State should root for this week. As the Buckeyes have gone undefeated until now and the Playoff picture is clearer, Ohio State’s interests are becoming simpler. There is plenty for the rest of the Big Ten to root for, though, especially as the bowl picture becomes clearer. There isn’t much for the lower Big Ten teams to root for, so I’m only going to deal with those teams that are (potentially) bowl-eligible. I will go more or less in reverse order of the current Big Ten standings, but Indiana is by far the most interesting, so I’ll deal with them before Illinois.

Michigan State Spartans

This is simple for the Spartans. Win this week and go bowling. Depending on what fans want in a bowl game, other rooting interests can be different. Do you want to face another 6-6 P5 team? Root for North Carolina and Boston College to win this week. (And I guess for Clemson to lose to South Carolina to potentially free up another ACC bowl spot.) If you’d rather see Michigan State play a more winnable game against a replacement team, then root against North Carolina and Boston College instead.

Indiana Hoosiers

The last time Indiana was in anything approximating a major bowl game was the 1990 Peach Bowl. Well, due to a weird confluence of circumstances, the Hoosiers are looking at an Outback Bowl bid this year. How and why could the Big Ten’s seventh-best team end up in a New Years’ Day (and the conference’s third/fourth-best) bowl game? Let’s break it down.

The Big Ten’s current six-year bowl contract states that each bowl must have at least five different teams over the six year. The only Big Ten bowl partner that has to worry about meeting this criteria is the Outback Bowl. The Outback Bowl took Iowa both last year and after the 2016 season, and therefore has only had four Big Ten teams in the last five year. The other three teams were Wisconsin, Michigan, and Northwestern. Northwestern won’t be in any bowl game this year, obviously. However, this means that Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa cannot be selected for this year’s Outback Bowl.

So, what other teams would be selected in front of Indiana? The other top-level options are Ohio State, Penn State, and Minnesota. It seems nearly impossible for Ohio State to not make an NY6 Bowl. So all Indiana needs is for Penn State and Minnesota to be selected for NY6 bowls or the Citrus Bowl, and Indiana is the only real choice left for the Outback Bowl.

What should Indiana fans look for to get this outcome?

First of all, Ohio State should beat Michigan to keep the Wolverines out of the NY6 and Citrus Bowl pool. Then Minnesota should beat Wisconsin. If those two happen, Indiana is a near-lock for the Outback Bowl. The Ohio State-Minnesota winner will make the Playoff and the loser heads to the Rose Bowl; Penn State will either be in the Orange Bowl or Citrus Bowl. And even if Big Ten bowls slide up a slot or two (say, if both Ohio State and Minnesota make the Playoff and/or if Penn State gets the Cotton Bowl), Indiana will still get the Outback Bowl. Michigan and/or Wisconsin would move up into the next NY6 bowl or Citrus Bowl, which still leaves Indiana as the best option for the Outback Bowl.

In fact, even if Indiana loses to Purdue, the Hoosiers are possibly headed to the Outback Bowl. Illinois would be competition for the spot, though, so Northwestern taking out Illinois would be important. Of course, there is a chance the Outback Bowl would request a 6-6 Michigan State team (or Nebraska) over Indiana, so Indiana should just take care of business and beat Purdue.

If, however, Wisconsin beats Minnesota or Michigan beats Ohio State, then things get complicated. As long as Penn State or Minnesota doesn’t get pushed out of the NY6 and Citrus Bowls, Indiana will get the Outback. If, however, one of those two falls far enough, that team will almost certainly get priority for the Outback Bowl over Indiana.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois is very likely locked into the Pinstripe Bowl (very slight change at the Redbox Bowl). While the Big Ten bowl pool doesn’t officially have any real hierarchy, in reality those are the two lowest. And it makes sense–those will also have the weaker opponents, which will provide better games. The Pinstripe Bowl will have a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, while the Redbox Bowl will feature a middle-of-the-pack Pac 12 team. Either should be a good opponent for this Illinois team.

If Illinois fans want a more prestigious bowl, though, just look at everything in the last section about Indiana. Root for all of that, plus an Indiana loss to Purdue. If that happens, 7-5 Illinois might just be the Outback Bowl’s (and the Big Ten’s) preferred choice.

Next… Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan

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Ohio State football rooting interests for Week 14

What should Ohio State Buckeye fans root to happen this weekend? Let’s go through the schedule, including major rivalry games.

There are just two weeks left in the college football season, and one of those is just conference championship games. Ohio State looks to be closing in on a College Football Playoff spot. Now it’s time to look at what the Buckeyes should root for to ensure they get in, even if they don’t win their last two games. And, maybe, we can touch on what to root for to get a preferred matchup in the semifinals.

At this point, we first have to figure out exactly what case Ohio State is rooting for. The Buckeyes are a Playoff lock with a win next week in the Big Ten Championship Game, even if they lose to Michigan. So, basically, Ohio State is rooting for the scenario that can allow it to get into the Playoff with a Big Ten Championship Game loss.

We’ll touch on it more later, but an important starting point for Ohio State is Wisconsin beating Minnesota. If the Golden Gophers win out, they’re in the Playoff. A Wisconsin win means that the Buckeyes, at worst, will be the Big Ten’s only one-loss team, so Ohio State should stay ahead of Wisconsin even with a loss to the Badgers.

Improving the resume overall will be important if a 12-1 non-Big Ten champion Ohio State team wants in the Playoff, so wins by Miami (Oh) and FAU will be useful. A win by Cincinnati over Memphis is even more important, as that would likely lock up a year-end ranking for the Bearcats, and keep alive their chances of ending in the Top 15 or better.

Ultimately, though, for Ohio State to get in the Playoff in this case, it needs there to not be four other contenders with better resumes. Right now, the teams with potentially better resumes are:
1. LSU
2. Clemson
3. Georgia
4. Utah
5. Oklahoma
6. Baylor
7. Alabama

Little things might matter, because if it comes to splitting hairs between a 12-1 Ohio State or a 12-1 Clemson (or a 12-1 Alabama), the more points of contrast in Ohio State’s favor, the better. We’ll focus on that later. For now, let’s get the big things out of the way. At least four of these teams need to have a resume worse than a 12-1 Ohio State (with a loss to Wisconsin) will have. Let’s break them down.

Next…Looking at these seven resumes

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Notes/tidbits from Michigan’s 39-14 win over Indiana

Some things you might not have known about Michigan’s victory over Indiana.

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It started out as a tight affair, as it always is between the Wolverines and Hoosiers, but unlike any other time that Michigan and Indiana have faced off in the Jim Harbaugh era, it wasn’t a close game beyond the first-half.

Courtesy of MGoBlue.com, here’s some facts/tidbits you might not have known about Michigan’s valiant win over Indiana.

• In the 68th all-time meeting between these Big Ten foes, Michigan improved its all-time record against Indiana to 59-9. U-M has won 24 straight in the series and 11 consecutive games in Bloomington.

• With Indiana’s longest run of 17 yards on Saturday, Michigan has now allowed a run of 20-plus yards in the last 32 quarters.

• The Wolverines gave up 14 points to the Hoosiers, tied for the most points allowed over the last three games. In the last eight games including this one, Michigan’s defense has allowed 13 touchdowns while forcing 14 turnovers.

• With 453 yards, Michigan’s offense went over 400 total yards for the sixth time in the last eight games and the seventh in 11 games this season.

• Quarterback Shea Patterson finished the game 20-of-32 passing for 366 yards with five touchdowns. He completed passes to nine different receivers and began the game 7-for-7. He is the first Michigan quarterback with consecutive 300-yard games since Jake Rudock in 2015.

• Patterson’s five total touchdown throws mark his second consecutive game with four touchdown passes — a program first. Devin Gardner also has two games with four-plus TD throws; only John Navarre, Chad Henne, and Elvis Grbac (three each) have more.

• Patterson’s five touchdown passes are the second most by any U-M quarterback in program history and the most in any regulation game (Rudock, six at Indiana in double-overtime, 2015). Patterson had five touchdown passes once at Mississippi (against Tennessee-Martin).

• Patterson’s three first-half touchdown throws made him the third quarterback to throw for three first-half touchdowns under head coach Jim Harbaugh (Wilton Speight; 3 vs. UCF, 2016 and Jake Rudock; 3 at Indiana, 2015).

• Patterson connected on three pass plays of 40-plus yards after entering the game with six such plays all season.

• Wide receiver Ronnie Bell remained active after a career day against the Spartans last weekend. He caught his first touchdown of the season with a six-yard reception from Patterson in the first quarter. Bell entered the game with a team-high 38 receptions.

• With Bell’s first-quarter touchdown, 10 different Wolverines have at least one touchdown catch, equaling the season total from 2018.

• Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones’ second-quarter touchdown reception was his fifth of the season, a team-high for receiving scores. It was the 13th receiving touchdown of his career and 15th overall (two punt returns).

• Peoples-Jones’ third-quarter reception for 41 yards was his longest catch of the year and second-longest play (50-yard punt return vs. Michigan State).

• Wide receiver Nico Collins caught a 24-yard touchdown in the second quarter, his fifth of the year, tying him atop the team leaderboard with Peoples-Jones. It was the 11th of his career. He followed that up with a 76-yard reception for a score in the third quarter, the longest catch of his career.

• Collins’ 76-yard reception marked the longest play from scrimmage for U-M this season, and the second-longest passing TD of Patterson’s career at Michigan (79 yards at Michigan State, 2018).

• Collins finished with a career-high 165 Receiving yards and his third career multi-touchdown game.

• Freshman wide receiver Giles Jackson’s 50-yard reception in the first quarter was the longest of his career, and the longest by any U-M freshman this season. It was the fifth-longest pass play for Michigan this year.

• With his second-quarter carry near the nine-minute mark, running back Zach Charbonnet passed Chris Evans (614 yards) for third-most by a freshman rusher in program history. Charbonnet entered the game with 589 rushing yards on the season.

• Defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson was credited with his sixth pass breakup of the season in the first quarter. Entering Saturday, only Lavert Hill (10) had more on the team than Hutchinson, who is tied with Ambry Thomas for second-most.

• Linebacker Josh Uche strip-sacked Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramesy late in the third quarter, bringing him to a team-high 10.5 for the season.

• Safety Daxton Hill made his first career start and is the first true freshman to start a game on defense under head coach Jim Harbaugh.

• Hill recorded the first interception of his career at 3:42 in the first quarter after quarterback Peyton Ramsey’s arm was hit by Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson was credited with a PBU on the play, bumping him to six for the season. Only Lavert Hill (10 entering the game) has more.

• Safety Brad Hawkins did not travel with the team due to injury.

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Michigan riding high on momentum, on Ohio State: ‘We don’t see them as unbeatable’

Why these Wolverines, flying high on momentum, don’t see the Buckeyes as an unbeatable force.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — They called it a trap game, and Michigan didn’t see it that way.

No, the Wolverines felt they could roll over and over the Hoosiers in their own stadium, and it showed en route to an emphatic 39-14 win over Indiana.

Shea Patterson became the first Michigan quarterback in history to throw four or more (he threw five in this game) touchdowns in back-to-back games, and he managed for more than 350 yards for his second-straight game as well.

The defense fully clamped down after allowing two first-half touchdowns. The Hoosiers — who average 448 yards-per-game on offense — got 158 yards in the first two quarters of play, but only put up 66 in the final two.

It was an all-around impressive performance on both sides of the ball for the maize and blue.

But, this team isn’t focused on the past — i.e. what just happened. No, with arch-rival Ohio State up next, the Buckeyes are already on the mind.

“Yeah, we were all in the locker room – no one was even talking about this game,” sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. “We’re all ready for next week.”

Here’s the truth: it will be a daunting challenge for these Wolverines next week. Ohio State has blown every team not named Penn State — who the Buckeyes held on to beat 28-17 on Saturday, their lowest margin of victory all season. It’s a team that looks complete. Many say — this site included — that OSU might be the best team in the country.

But that was said about a Buckeyes team coached by Woody Hayes back in 1969. Ohio State’s so-called best-ever team came to Ann Arbor and lost 24-12.

While we’re not predicting that at this juncture, we will acknowledge this: no team is unbeatable. And that’s the same notion to which Michigan subscribes.

“We’re all just gonna do our job and play the game we play,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously this game is the biggest of our schedule. We’re just gonna come out there and do our thing. We don’t see them as unbeatable. Every team can be beaten. We’re going to go out there and do our job.”

For many of the Wolverines, they’ve already turned their attention to the Buckeyes, as noted. But game planning starts in earnest now.

Patterson, who’s been enigmatic the past two weeks, with 750 yards and 9 touchdowns, says that he and the team are ready for the challenge they’re about to face.

“We understand the level of intensity this game brings,” Patterson said. “Everything we do leading up to this game next week is already planned throughout the season. Just the word ‘Ohio State’ is enough for us.”

Unlike many of the previous Michigan teams that have faced vaunted Buckeyes squads, there have been some cracks in the armor.

In 2015, a record passing performance by Jake Rudock gave way to a dogfight in Happy Valley before The Game. The Wolverines lost two weeks prior in 2016 at Iowa, and had major injury concerns heading into the contest in Columbus. In 2017, starting quarterback Brandon Peters was knocked out in the penultimate game at Wisconsin, yet the maize and blue were down just one score with two minutes remaining. Last year, the three-game gauntlet saw two low-key wins over Rutgers and Indiana before the Wolverines got throttled in the Horseshoe.

This year, however, Michigan seems to be peaking at the right time, playing with incredible confidence. Indiana came into this game flying high, nearly knocking off Penn State in Happy Valley. But the Wolverines held them to half its normal output, and put up the third-most yards that the Hoosiers have surrendered all season, while shattering the amount of passing yards that the nation’s No. 11 passing defense has allowed until Saturday.

So now, while Michigan whimpered out of the gates to start the season, it’ll not only face a high-flying Ohio State team, it will field a team itself that must be reckoned with.

“It was huge – having this momentum going into our biggest game of the year, it’s great to have,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously we started out a little slow, but we’re the defense where if we get punched in the face, we will keep striking, keep coming at them. I wouldn’t be too worried when people get a touchdown on us, because we’re always gonna keep coming and coming and coming and coming.”

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Updates: Jim Harbaugh Indiana postgame press conference

What the Wolverines head coach had to say after the 39-14 win over the Hoosiers in Bloomington.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Michigan thrashed the Hoosiers at Indiana for the first time in the Jim Harbaugh era, in a game that started close, but ended as a 39-14 laugher.

WolverinesWire’s Isaiah Hole is live at Memorial Stadium for Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s postgame press conference.

FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE COMMENTS BELOW OR CLICK HERE.

Updates: Michigan football at Indiana

Come and discuss the game with the WolverinesWire crew!

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Michigan is fresh off a bye week, ready to go for its second win in a row over rival Michigan State, and the first at home in the Jim Harbaugh era.

WolverinesWire’s Isaiah Hole is on the ground at Memorial Stadium while Brandon Knapp and Matthew Lounsberry are remote, to bring you updates and observations from the game.

FIND THE COMMENTS EITHER BELOW OR VIA THIS LINK.

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How to Watch/Hear: Michigan at Indiana

What time, channel and everything else you need to know about how to catch the Wolverines and Hoosiers on Saturday.

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Michigan is down to its last two games of the season, and the final road game is a surprisingly difficult road contest against a 7-3 Indiana team that seems to take the Wolverines to the brink, even when they’re not any good down in Bloomington.

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If you plan on watching or listening, but don’t know when or how, we at WolverinesWire have got you covered.

Basic info

When: Saturday, Nov. 23 @ 3:30PM EST

Where: Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Indiana)

How to watch/listen:

Streaming: fuboTV

Broadcast: ESPN

Radio: IMG Radio Network

Courtesy of MGoBlue.com
Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @isaiahhole

Week Eleven Picks, Predictions and Preview: Michigan at Indiana

What our panel anticipates from the Wolverines road trip to Bloomington to face the 7-3 Indiana Hoosiers.

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The Wolverines absolutely embarrassed and eviscerated the in-state rival Michigan State Spartans this past weekend, but now the test gets tougher.

Michigan travels to Bloomington, where it takes on a resurgent Indiana team that always gives it fits, especially at home. The maize and blue have won every game in the contest dating back to 1987, but the last four games have all been close affairs, with both road games going to overtime.

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So what does our panel of prognosticators expect? Check it all out below.

Pickers:

Pete Fiutak @PeteFiutak, College Football News
Brandon Knapp @bknappblogs, WolverinesWire
Matthew Lounsberry @mlounsberry3434, WolverinesWire
Isaiah Hole @IsaiahHole, WolverinesWire

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Vegas-style picks

pick against the spread (-9.5)

Pete Fiutak: MICHIGAN
Brandon Knapp: MICHIGAN
Matthew Lounsberry: INDIANA
Isaiah Hole: MICHIGAN

Your pick for the over/under (54)

Pete Fiutak: OVER
Brandon Knapp: UNDER
Matthew Lounsberry: UNDER
Isaiah Hole: UNDER

Over/under Michigan passing yards (236)

Pete Fiutak: OVER
Brandon Knapp: OVER
Matthew Lounsberry: OVER
Isaiah Hole: UNDER

Over/under Michigan rushing yards (162)

Pete Fiutak: OVER
Brandon Knapp: UNDER
Matthew Lounsberry: UNDER
Isaiah Hole: OVER

Over/under INDIANA PASSING yards (270)

Pete Fiutak: AWAITING PICK
Brandon Knapp: UNDER
Matthew Lounsberry: UNDER
Isaiah Hole: UNDER

Over/under Indiana RUSHING yards (130)

Pete Fiutak: UNDER
Brandon Knapp: UNDER
Matthew Lounsberry: OVER
Isaiah Hole: UNDER

Over/under Michigan qb rushing attempts (9.5)

Pete Fiutak: UNDER
Brandon Knapp: UNDER
Matthew Lounsberry: UNDER
Isaiah Hole: UNDER

Over/under Michigan turnover margin (-0.5)

Pete Fiutak: OVER
Brandon Knapp: UNDER
Matthew Lounsberry: OVER
Isaiah Hole: OVER

Over/under Michigan sacks (1.5)

Pete Fiutak: OVER
Brandon Knapp: OVER
Matthew Lounsberry: UNDER
Isaiah Hole: OVER

Over/under Michigan yards per play (5.59)

Pete Fiutak: AWAITING PICK
Brandon Knapp: OVER
Matthew Lounsberry: UNDER
Isaiah Hole: UNDER

OVER/UNDER INDIANA YARDS PER PLAY (5)

Pete Fiutak: UNDER
Brandon Knapp: UNDER
Matthew Lounsberry: UNDER
Isaiah Hole: OVER

Over/under Michigan field goal attempts (3.5)

Pete Fiutak: UNDER
Brandon Knapp: OVER
Matthew Lounsberry: UNDER
Isaiah Hole: UNDER

Over/under Michigan punts (5)

Pete Fiutak: UNDER
Brandon Knapp: PUSH
Matthew Lounsberry: OVER
Isaiah Hole: UNDER

FULL PREVIEW and PREDICTIONS on the NEXT PAGE!
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What Indiana is saying about Michigan before their matchup

Michigan football takes on Indiana this week. Check out what their coaches are saying before the game on Saturday.

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Michigan takes on Indiana this week and the main focus for the Wolverines has been to not overlook Indiana as Ohio State is on deck next week. The team knows that Indiana can’t be overlooked as a trap game opponent and that they have to focus on them before Ohio State.

Before taking on Michigan this week, Indiana head coach Tom Allen spoke to the media and gave the Michigan football program some praise for their success.

“Really a lot of respect for them and their coaches and the talent that they have and how they have recruited and they are who they are historically,” Allen said. “But they just, they’re playing their best football, watching them on film the last couple days. And really impressive football team, physically and athletically and just doing a lot of great things in all three phases, they have got talented specialists. And excellent quarterback and stable of running backs. And, boy, really impressive receiver core. Big, physical, experienced offensive line.”

He then transitioned to their defense led by defensive coordinator Don Brown and how good they are behind him.

“Some new faces on defense,” Allen said. “But very, very athletic. Very explosive. And Don Brown does a phenomenal job schematically and they play really hard. And Coach Harbaugh has got them playing really, really well. So I know they had a big game last week, an important game for them and they played really, really good football, so, in all three phases. So just really an opportunity for them to come here.”

Allen wasn’t the only coach to speak to the media as defensive coordinator Kane Wommack spoke about facing Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson and how he’s changed since playing at Ole Miss, where his dad, Dave Wommack was the defensive coordinator when Patterson was there.

“I’ve gone against Shea Patterson now when I was the defensive coordinator at South Alabama when we went up there to play Ole Miss, then of course last season and this season,” Wommack said. “My dad was the defensive coordinator when he was at Ole Miss, so I’ve kind of known about him for a long time. I think very highly of him and how he plays the game. Certainly, I was a much bigger fan when he was with my dad at Ole Miss, now he just seems to be a big pain in the tail, but he’s just a very talented football player. He’s very gifted, he can make all the throws, he can extend plays and drives with his feet. I think what they have done and evolved to offensively certainly meshes well with what his skillset, and I think they’ve taken advantage of their quarterback and their outside skill.”

“I think they have done a good job of developing him into becoming more of a complete pocket-passer,” Wommack said. “I think the emphasis for him has been to stay in the pocket, keep his eyes downfield. I do think one of the best things … I think him and Johnny Manziel are the two best players that I’ve faced in terms of when they escape the pocket, they keep their eyes downfield. … He does a great job of keeping his eyes downfield, always looking to extend drives and throw the ball and not scramble and rush.”

Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer also spoke to the media about the Wolverines defense, led by Brown.

“Yeah they’re really good on defense,” DeBoer said. “They have good personnel, and obviously Coach Brown with what he’s doing with his group, he’s having a lot of fun with them, you can tell. He’s letting them play, and the thing that’s really impressive I think is how disciplined they are with what they do. They come at you a lot of different plays, they’re going to keep you off balance. Up front, there’s just a lot of things happening. It’s really impressive, you can tell there’s a lot of experience that’s going into the plans that he puts out there on the football field each and every Saturday.”

DeBoer also brought up how Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey will put his past issues against Michigan behind him this week and focus on the game this week.

“I’ve flipped through those games and understand what’s taken place,” DeBoer said. “But we’ll figure out how to attack their defense and lay out the plan of what we’re going to try to accomplish on Saturday.”

Michigan takes on Indiana on Saturday, November 23 at 3:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.

Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @BKnappBlogs

Michigan at Indiana odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Michigan at Indiana college football matchup, with college football betting odds, picks and best bets

The Michigan Wolverines (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten East) and Indiana Hoosiers (7-3, 4-3 East) battle at “The Rock” in Bloomington, Ind., in a key divisional battle Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

We analyze the Michigan-Indiana odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Michigan at Indiana: Three things you need to know

1. Michigan has covered four in a row, but is 3-8 against the spread in its past 11 games on the road and 0-3-1 ATS in its past four meetings with Indiana.

2. Wolverines freshman RB Zach Charbonnet has rolled up 589 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns.

3. Hoosiers RB Stevie Scott III has posted 791 rushing yards with 10 total scores, while WR Whop Philyor is good for a team-high 863 receiving yards.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Michigan at Indiana: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 2 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Michigan 40, Indiana 24

Moneyline (ML)

Michigan (-345) is a moderate favorite on the road, and the Wolverines are not going to be caught looking ahead to their titanic battle next weekend with Ohio State. However, they’re too expensive on the road against an underrated Indiana (+265). The Hoosiers would have been a much more tempting play had QB Michael Penix Jr. not gone down with an injury.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Michigan to win would return a profit of $2.90.

Against the Spread (ATS)

MICHIGAN (-8.5, -115) will come home from Bloomington with a hard-fought double-digit victory. Indiana (+8.5, -106) will keep it close — and might even be tied or leading at halftime — but the deeper Wolverines will pull away in the second half.

Over/Under (O/U)

The OVER (53.5, -110) is 5-1 in Michigan’s past six on the road, and 6-2 in the Wolverine’s past eight inside the conference. The over is 5-0 in Indiana’s past five at home against teams with a winning road record, and 10-4 in the Hoosiers’ past 14 inside the Big Ten, too.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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