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Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Wolverines

Oct 24, 202611:00 AM CTFoxAnn Arbor, MI
By JR·2 min read
6Indiana(6-1)
Michigan(4-2)
11:00 AM

TLDR: Indiana's 22-game winning streak ended at home against Ohio State on a touchdown that came down to Nick Marsh's left foot. A week later the Hoosiers have to take the hangover to Michigan Stadium, where the Wolverines just found a quarterback at halftime.

SAT 10/24, 11:00 AM CT · Week 8Fox
6Indiana
(6-1)
LWWWW
Michigan
(4-2)
WLLWW
Kickoff 63°

No. 5 Indiana (6-1) goes to unranked Michigan (4-2) one week after Ohio State ended its 22-game winning streak 19-15. Michigan is coming off a 21-18 win over Penn State that turned when Tommy Carr replaced the starter at halftime and the defense forced 3 turnovers. Indiana is favored by more than a touchdown, and the result likely depends on whether Michigan's quarterback switch holds and whether Indiana can score against a defense that just took the ball away 3 times.

Indiana Hoosiers
  • Won at Rutgers 47-15 and at Nebraska 20-17
  • Lost to No. 4 Ohio State by only 4 points
  • Held to 15 points by Ohio State
  • RB K. Martin questionable with a forearm injury
  • First loss in 666 days, now has to play on the road
Michigan Wolverines
  • Defense forced 3 second-half turnovers against Penn State
  • Tommy Carr gave the offense a halftime spark
  • Offense topped 21 once in the last 5 (UTEP)
  • Starting quarterback unsettled; Carr has thrown just 7 passes
  • 1-2 in conference after losses to Iowa and Minnesota

Start with the quarterbacks, because that's where Michigan's week begins. The Wolverines were stuck against Penn State until Kyle Whittingham changed quarterbacks at the half and went to Tommy Carr, who went 5-for-7 for 47 yards and ran in a 12-yard touchdown in the 21-18 win. "Tommy gave us a spark," Whittingham told CBS afterward. That's a coach describing a relief appearance, not naming a starter, and with 7 throws on Carr's record nobody outside the building knows what a full game of him looks like. Michigan's quarterback call is the biggest open question of the week.

Indiana's questions are smaller but real. The Hoosiers scored 15 in the Ohio State loss, and for a team that put 47 on Rutgers and 38 on Western Kentucky, a 4-point loss in which the go-ahead score was overturned on the sideline stings. RB K. Martin is questionable with a forearm injury, and his status for Saturday was unclear coming out of the Ohio State game. Indiana goes to Ann Arbor as a road favorite by more than a touchdown, so the market still sees one loss as one loss.

The road hasn't scared Indiana this year. The Hoosiers handled Rutgers 47-15 away from home and then ground out a 20-17 win at Nebraska. That Nebraska game is worth noting. When the Hoosiers can't stretch a defense they win close, and Michigan is going to make them win close.

6Indiana Hoosiers
(6-1)
10/17Lvs3Ohio State15-19
10/10W@Nebraska20-17
10/04W@Rutgers47-15
09/26Wvs24Northwestern29-23
09/19WvsWestern Kentucky38-0
Michigan Wolverines
(4-2)
10/17WvsPenn State21-18
10/03L@Minnesota14-20
09/26Lvs15Iowa19-20
09/19WvsUTEP52-17
09/12WvsOklahoma17-10

Michigan's season has been all over the place. The Wolverines are 4-2 but only 1-2 in the conference, with back-to-back losses to Iowa (20-19, at home) and Minnesota (20-14, on the road) before the Penn State win. Their offense has topped 21 points once in the last 5, and that was 52 against UTEP. They beat Penn State because the defense took over: Rod Moore and Chris Bracy both picked off Rocco Becht, then Bracy forced a fumble that Enow Etta recovered, which handed a struggling offense short fields.

That's the matchup. Michigan can't beat Indiana on offense alone, so it needs its defense to win the turnover battle and Carr, or whoever starts, to avoid giving it back. Indiana needs to show the Ohio State game was a 4-point loss to a top-5 team and not the start of a slide.

A note on Michigan's injury report: the listings for DL J. Daley and OG A. Sprague date back to late September, so check them again later in the week. A cloudy 62 degrees with a 10 mph wind is about as neutral as an October Saturday in Ann Arbor gets. This one comes down to whether the Hoosiers bounce back and which quarterback Whittingham picks.

Indiana vs. Michigan: Polymarket Odds & Prediction (Oct. 24) — Indiana Brings Its First Loss in 666 Days to Ann Arbor · Barstool Bush