On Saturday, there will be a Big Ten matchup between the Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan State Spartans. The game will be played at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., with kickoff set for noon ET.
Many college football games have been postponed or rescheduled this week due to COVID-19. For now, this game will still be played as scheduled.
The Hoosiers are coming into this one after a quick start to the season. They are 3-0 with wins against Penn State, Rutgers, and Michigan. Both the Nittany Lions and Wolverines were ranked when the Hoosiers beat them.
On the other hand, Michigan State is having a disappointing year so far. The Spartans are 1-2, with losses against Rutgers and Iowa. Their lone win was against Michigan, which is definitely not as good as many thought it would be.
How Good are the Hoosiers?
Indiana has been catching some attention lately, especially after starting the season with a win against Penn State. The Hoosiers did get a little help with a close call going their way at the end of the game.
After this game, we will find out how good these Hoosiers really are. Their next game will be against the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are off this week due to a COVID-19 cancelation. Indiana could see itself playing in an undefeated Big Ten matchup with a win in this game.
Michael Penix Jr. is the quarterback for Indiana. He has 750 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Possibly the best stat about Penix is the fact he has only thrown one interception.
Stevie Scott leads the Indiana rushing game. He has 65 carries for 235 yards and four touchdowns.
Spartan Turnovers
The big story for Michigan State this season has been the turnovers. It’s hard to have a winning college football team that has a bad turnover ratio. Their only win came in the only game they didn’t have a turnover.
Spartans quarterback Rocky Lombardi has five interceptions on the season. He has six touchdowns on 869 yards passing.
Michigan State’s leading rusher hasn’t had much success either. Freshman Jordon Simmons has 132 yards on 37 attempts but is still without a rushing touchdown.
The season doesn’t get any easier for the Spartans after this. They will still have to face Northwestern and Ohio State, who are both currently ranked. This could be a chance for them to pick up a big win.
Prediction
Indiana is the favorite in this one. The spread is set at -7 for the Hoosiers, with an over/under of 52.
I believe the spread is too low for this game. Michigan State was blown out by Iowa in its last appearance, showing that the Michigan game didn’t mean much.
The Hoosiers will easily cruise by the Spartans and set up a great matchup with Ohio State. I just don’t see this one being close.
Indiana has scored in the 30s in every game so far this year, and I expect it to reach that again in this one. The Spartans will pick up a few points for the over to hit.
I am going to take Indiana -7 and the total points over.