The Michigan Wolverines crushed the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their season opener, and everything looked really promising for Coach Jim Harbaugh. Then came the second game of the season. This is where everything was turned upside down. Michigan was a 23-point favorite against Michigan State at home and yet lost outright to the Spartans, 27-24. Michigan has to find a way to rebound from that nightmarish game.
For the first time since 1991, the Indiana Hoosiers are 2-0 in a Big Ten Conference season. The Hoosiers took care of business at Rutgers one week after Rutgers crushed the same Michigan State team, which rebounded against Michigan. Just how reliable and consistent are the various teams in the Big Ten? It’s hard to know outside of Ohio State (good) and Illinois (bad). We’ll learn a lot more about Michigan and Indiana this weekend.
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Wolverines vs Hoosiers Betting Preview
College Football Odds: Michigan -3
BetUS Sportsbook Total: 51.5
Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, In
Overview
Michigan scored 49 points against Minnesota in the season opener. New quarterback Joe Milton was electric. The Wolverines’ offense looked dangerous, fast, and able to do anything it wanted at any time, and at any point on the field. This was the turbocharged offense Michigan coaches, fans and players had been waiting to see. The act of dominance against Minnesota was so comprehensive and overwhelming that it seemed Michigan had begun to create the new identity the program so badly needed.
Play against Michigan State
After that, in one game, all of that optimism and confidence were wiped away.
Michigan played a mediocre game and lost at home to Michigan State. The Wolverines committed multiple pass interference penalties. Michigan allowed downfield completions. They couldn’t do the same things on offense. They were reduced to a short passing game, which meant Michigan had to perform well on twice as many plays to gain the same result as Michigan State. The passing game stats told the story.
Recap
Michigan completed 32 passes for 300 yards. Michigan State completed 17 passes for 323 yards. One team was ambitious and bold with its offense. And, it wasn’t Michigan. Milton played well against Minnesota. However, he regressed against Michigan State. Now Milton has to try to put the pieces together against Indiana and show that the Michigan State game was the aberration and that the Minnesota game was the true indicator of what he is going to achieve this season. Yet, with Michigan regressing so sharply – and with Minnesota giving up another large point total in a loss at Maryland on Oct. 30 – it seems that the Michigan-Minnesota game was much more a reflection of Minnesota being bad, not Michigan being good.
Indiana
The Hoosiers are 2-0. Indiana could have been complacent and self-satisfied from beating Penn State. However, there was no letdown against Rutgers. That’s a really good sign for the Hoosiers and head coach Tom Allen, who are clearly still a formidable team in the Big Ten. Indiana football has unmistakably improved, and the best thing is that these improvements appear to be sustainable.
Wolverines vs Hoosiers Betting Preview: Bottom Line
The Hoosiers performance will shape this game to a degree, but this game is mostly a test of Michigan. Will the Wolverines respond the right way to a humiliating loss, or will they be shaken and dispirited?
Our NCAA betting suggestions are based on the expectation that Jim Harbaugh will rally his team. Therefore, we’re bet on Michigan to bounce back.
Online Betting Prediction: Michigan 30, Indiana 24
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