Crédito: fuente
Is this Indiana team capable of truly shocking the college football world by pulling off an upset of No. 23 Michigan on Saturday? The Hoosiers come into this weekend’s game ranked at No. 13 in the AP Top 25 poll after a 2-0 start. It’s a terrific accomplishment for the program, and it’s the highest the Hoosiers have climbed in the rankings since climbing as high as No. 11 after a 6-1 start to the 1987 season.
In fact, that Hoosiers team moved up from No. 15 to No. 11 a week after beating a Michigan team that was ranked at No. 20. It’s not often we see Indiana higher than Michigan in the polls, nor is it often we see Indiana beating Michigan. Because you know what else was special about that 1987 win over the Wolverines that bumped the Hoosiers up to No. 11?
It was the last time Indiana beat Michigan.
The Wolverines have won 24 straight meetings since that game and have dominated this series throughout history, winning 59 of the first 68 meetings. So, while a 2-0 start to the 2020 season and a top-15 ranking are wonderful things for this Indiana program, it still has to get the Michigan monkey off its back. Might this Saturday be the day? Odds via William Hill Sportsbook
Storylines
Indiana: As mentioned above, the Hoosiers have lost 24 straight to the Wolverines, so winning this game doesn’t seem likely. Of course, considering how they played in their season-opener against Penn State, a win wasn’t likely then, either, but Indiana pulled off the upset. That’s the thing about the Hoosiers so far in 2020. On the one hand, you have to give them credit, and it’s hard not to feel good for Tom Allen and his program. Indiana football isn’t used to seeing those numbers next to its name in football, particularly ones that are so high. On the other hand, you can’t ignore that the Hoosiers haven’t looked particularly great despite the 2-0 start. In some ways, this game against Michigan will tell us far more about Indiana than its first two wins have.
Michigan: There’s a strong sense of deja vu in Ann Arbor these days. The optimistic feeling that followed a season-opening win against Minnesota disappeared quickly after the Wolverines fell to Michigan State at home last week. The Wolverines were favored by more than three touchdowns in the game but never held the lead. Now the whispers and rumblings about Jim Harbaugh being on the hot seat have started again, while many question whether Michigan will ever be capable of competing with a team like Ohio State again. I’m not sure that last question is at the front of Michigan’s mind right now. Before the Wolverines worry about any of that, they have to beat Indiana like they’ve done so many times before. If they don’t, well, Michigan would rather not think about that right now.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 7 | Time: Noon ET
Location: Memorial Stadium — Bloomington, Indiana
TV: FS1 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Game prediction, picks
Yeah, I’m not falling for it. I know Michigan lost a game everyone expected it to win, but this point spread is a gross overreaction to the loss. In his five seasons at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh’s teams have only gone 1-3-1 ATS against Indiana despite winning all five games. The difference this year is that none of the games had a spread this small. The average spread in those five games was 16.2 points. Michigan has won each of the meetings by at least a touchdown. Last year, the Wolverines beat the best Indiana team we’d seen in years by 25. We’ll see the Wolverines bounce back this weekend against an Indiana team that hasn’t played nearly as well as its record suggests. Pick: Michigan (-3)
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