CFP Predictions: Why Indiana Could Win National Title
- The Indiana vs Notre Dame betting lines have the Hoosiers as underdogs.
- Can the surprising Hoosiers continue to defy the odds in the CFP?
- Get the best College Football Playoff odds at BetUS.
Those who jumped on Indiana at +100000 in the odds of winning the national championship are just four wins away from the college football futures bet to top all the college futures bets.
It won’t be easy with the Hoosiers playing at Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff. This will be just the second meeting between the teams since 1959, with Indiana’s last win against the Fighting Irish coming in 1950.
Sports betting odds aren’t expecting the Hoosiers to keep their surprising season going with Notre Dame favored by 7½ points in the Dec. 20 matchup in South Bend. It will be the first of this year’s College Football Playoff games.
The College Football Playoff lines have Indiana only ahead of Boise State and Arizona State in the odds of winning the national championship.
Keep on reading to see how Indiana can make a run at the national title.
4 Reasons Why Indiana Can Win National Title
1. Hoosiers Love Proving the Experts Wrong
Indiana didn’t face top-seeded Oregon or Penn State and lost to Ohio State so the jury is out about how good this Indiana team is.
However, the Hoosiers have handled their business. Indiana took down Michigan and Washington, the two teams that met in the most recent College Football Playoff title game. Sure, the Wolverines and Huskies are nowhere as good as the 2023 versions but a win is a win.
We’re ready for an electric first round of the CFP with DOUBLE the GameDay shows 🍿
📍 First stop: @IndianaFootball at @NDFootball | Dec. 20 at 3:30 PM ET
📍 Second stop: @Vol_Football at @OhioStateFB | Dec. 21 at 9 AM ETSEE YOU THERE 👏 pic.twitter.com/7oNXTrM1y1
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 11, 2024
This is a good Notre Dame team, but one that lost at home to Northern Illinois and was fortunate to beat visiting Louisville so this is certainly a game that the Hoosiers could win when making college football picks.
2. Indiana Getting Defensive
Wondering why Indiana is in the College Football Playoff? Take a look at the defensive improvement.
During the 2023 season, no Big Ten team allowed more yards per game than Indiana. The Hoosiers went from allowing 394 yards in 2023 to 245 this season.
Per Indiana vs Notre Dame betting tips, the Hoosiers have the best run defense in the country with just 70.3 yards allowed per game. Indiana held Ohio State to 115 yards and eight other teams failed to hit the 100-yard mark.
Adding linebacker Aiden Fisher, who leads Indiana with 108 tackles, and Jailin Walker from James Madison as well as Shawn Asbury from Old Dominion helped the Hoosiers tighten things up on defense.
Our AP All-Big Ten selections. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/W2cvqG7OzA
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) December 10, 2024
Sack leader Mikail Kamara is another James Madison transfer and a player to consider in the player prop bets.
3. Hoosiers Limit Mistakes
Indiana led the Big Ten and ranked fourth nationally in turnover margin. Only Army and Vanderbilt had fewer giveaways this season than the eight by Indiana.
Teams are known for giving Notre Dame some help when playing in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus. Perhaps that will happen, but that is not the script that the Hoosiers followed this season.
When looking at college football stats, keep in mind that Indiana is second in the Big Ten in converting on third down and no Big Ten team scores at a higher rate on red-zone drives than Indiana with 62 scores and 54 touchdowns in 66 drives reaching the red zone.
4. Indiana Ready to Shock the World
Indiana has plenty of motivation for playing another team from Indiana since Notre Dame hasn’t exactly been lining up to play the Hoosiers. For those who bet online, the Hoosiers are +255 on the moneyline. If Indiana can win that game, next up is a Georgia team that will likely be without starting quarterback Carson Beck.
After that, it will be Penn State, SMU or Boise State. It would be fun to see the nation’s best run defense try to slow down Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with a spot in the CFP title game on the line.
With Wake Forest transfer Justice Ellison leading the running game and quarterback Nathan Rourke throwing six touchdowns in his most recent game, this Indiana team believes it can make some noise in the CFP and that is half the battle.
Bet on Indiana vs Notre Dame at BetUS Sportsbook Online!
Questions Of The Day
What were Indiana’s odds of winning the national championship at the start of the season?
There were more than 75 teams with shorter odds of winning the national championship than Indiana when the season began.
How has Indiana fared in recent postseason games?
This is Indiana’s first postseason appearance since losing to Ole Miss in the 2020 Outback Bowl. The last bowl win for the Hoosiers came in 1991.
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets
