After suffering heartbreak in a 19-15 loss to #4 Ohio State last week, the #6 Indiana Hoosiers (6-1) are on the road with no time to sulk. This week the Hoosiers head to The Big House and take on a rested Michigan Wolverines (4-2) team.
Michigan enters with a new sense of hope for the rest of the season. The Wolverines are fresh off a bye week and announced that Tommy Carr will be starting against Indiana, not the $12 million dollar man Bryce Underwood. Carr replaced Underwood in the second half against Penn State and led a comeback charge to win 21-18 after Michigan trailed 3-0 at the half. Carr had 83 total yards and a rushing touchdown in the second half of the win, which was encouraging for Michigan supporters. On the flip side, this will be Carr’s first collegiate start, and it’s against Curt Cignetti and Indiana coming off a loss (33-3 record with Cignetti). Yikes. Throw him to the wolves why don’t ya?
Indiana is still favored to make the College Football Playoff despite the loss to Ohio State. The Hoosiers’ only ranked game remaining is against USC on Nov. 14, and the Trojans play Ohio State the week prior, so it’s a good spot for Indiana. Indiana likely finishes the regular season 11-1, and it’s a rematch between the Buckeyes and Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship Game. The only question then would be: is Julian Sayin back? That’s a question and conversation for another day.
The Hoosiers’ run game was stalled in the loss to Ohio State. Indiana ran for 73 yards on 29 carries (2.5 ypc) and recorded zero explosive runs. The offense relied heavily on Josh Hoover, Charlie Becker, and Nick Marsh to cook. Becker and Marsh caught 12 of Hoover’s 20 completions (60%) and 222 of the 296 passing yards (75%). Hoover had a season-high 40 pass attempts, his only game over 30, and Indiana shouldn’t have to pass as much this week, or again for the rest of the regular season.
Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.
Game Details and How to Watch Indiana vs Michigan
- Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
- Time: 12:00 PM Eastern
- Site: Michigan Stadium
- City: Ann Arbor, MI
- TV/Streaming: Fox
Game Odds for Michigan vs Indiana
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Indiana Hoosiers (-278), Michigan Wolverines (+225)
- Spread: Indiana -7 (-112)
- Total: 41.5 points
Michigan Wolverines
Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham
2026 Record: 4-2 (1-2)
Offensive Points Per Game: 22.7 (106th)
Defensive Points Per Game: 16.1 (T-20th)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 61st
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 8th
The Michigan Wolverines Offense:
After six games, Kyle Whittingham has pulled the plug and benched Bryce Underwood. Tommy Carr, brother of Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, will get the start. What to expect from Carr and the Wolverines’ offense is up in the air. Carr had seven drives to work with in the second half versus Penn State and finished with 47 passing yards, 36 rushing yards, and a rushing score. Michigan scored 21 second-half points after trailing 3-0 at halftime. Michigan’s Team Total for this game is 16.5, and Carr is projected at Over or Under 137.5 passing yards and 15.5 rushing yards. That doesn’t sound very promising coming off the bye week. Michigan did run for 211 yards and three touchdowns against Penn State, but the Hoosiers’ rush defense ranks first in rush defense per PFF.
Michigan Player to Watch on Offense: QB Tommy Carr
Carr led the second-half comeback charge against Penn State and scored on three out of seven drives despite not totaling 100 yards in the half. After paying Bryce Underwood $12 million, Carr comes in with much lower expectations and should thrive over the next few games, but this is a rough spot. The positive is that Michigan had a bye week to work with Carr and see what makes him comfortable, but making your first career start against Curt Cignetti, as Indiana is coming off only the third loss in Cignetti’s Hoosiers coaching career, does not sound ideal for Carr.
The Michigan Wolverines Defense:
The Michigan defense forced Penn State’s Rocco Becht into three turnovers (2 INT, 1 FUM) in the last game and held the rushing attack to 65 yards on 30 carries (2.2 ypc). Penn State scored twice in the fourth quarter to pull the score within one possession, but Michigan shut the door the following possessions and held Penn State to four punts in the first half. Michigan ranks second-best in the country in rush defense per PFF, behind only Indiana, and the Wolverines are top 25 in pressure (11th) and coverage grades (18th). The defense will have to carry them on Saturday to stay within striking distance.
Michigan Player to Watch on Defense: DL John Henry Daley
John Henry Daley entered the bye week on a four-game sack streak and has thrived at Michigan. Daley played for Whittingham at Utah the last two seasons (12.5 sacks) after starting his career at BYU. Daley’s stock has been rising this season after a career-high 11.5 sacks with the Utes. Daley has 4.0 sacks over five games in his pocket with 1.5 versus Oklahoma, 1.0 versus UTEP and Penn State, plus a 0.5 sack against Iowa. Indiana has the second-best-rated pass-blocking grades, but Hoover has been sacked twice in three out of six games, but not against Ohio State last week.
Peacock offers one of the most comprehensive live sports streaming lineups available today, bringing together the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Premier League, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, golf, motorsports, and major global sporting events in a single service.
#5 Indiana Hoosiers
Head Coach: Curt Cignetti
2026 Record: 6-1 (3-1)
Offensive Points Per Game: 36.6 (24th)
Defensive Points Per Game: 12.8 (4th)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 24th
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 55th
The Indiana Hoosiers Offense:
Josh Hoover turned it on in the second half and extended his streak without an interception to 169 passes for Indiana. Hoover has 18 touchdown passes to no picks and tossed a season-high 40 passes for 296 yards versus OSU. Due to the trailing game script and inability to run the ball, Hoover was forced into obvious passing situations. The Hoosiers ran for 73 yards on 29 carries (2.5 ypc), with the longest run of the day being eight yards. Indiana should struggle running on Michigan’s front seven, but the game script shouldn’t be the same leaving Hoover, Turbo Richard, and Lee Bebee Jr. in better positions to succeed.
Indiana Player to Watch on Offense: WR Nick Marsh
If Nick Marsh had watched more Antonio Brown growing up, Indiana would have beaten Ohio State and been No. 1 in the AP Poll. The Hoosiers were so close to winning, but Marsh couldn’t toe tap a dime from Hoover. I am curious how Marsh responds this week and if they go to him early and often. Marsh only had three receptions versus Ohio State, but turned them into 57 yards and a touchdown. Charlie Becker had nine catches for 165 yards. A week ago at Nebraska, Marsh went for a career-high 187 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions.
The Indiana Hoosiers Defense:
Indiana’s defense picked Ohio State’s Julian Sayin off twice and gave him a potential season-ending injury in a bruising battle between two top-five teams. The Hoosiers held the Buckeyes to 78 rushing yards on 28 carries (2.1 ypc) and sacked Ohio State a season-high four times. Indiana will have a much softer matchup against a Michigan offense that’s outside the top 100 in points per game.
Indiana Player to Watch on Defense: DL Stephen Daley
Stephen Daley had his three-game sack streak snapped against Ohio State. Daley had 1.0 sack versus Northwestern and 2.0 sacks each against Ohio State and at Nebraska. Daley is another riser this season, and he’s one sack from surpassing his career-high of 5.5 sacks last year with Indiana. Daley has also forced two fumbles this year and is at 16.5 sacks and five forced fumbles over his five-year career.
Michigan and Indiana Stats, Betting Trends
- Indiana is tied for an NCAA-worst 1-6 ATS
- Indiana is 4-3 to the Under
- Michigan is 2-4 ATS and 5-1 to the Under
- Indiana is 20-11 to the Over as a favorite under Cignetti
- Indiana is 7-3 to the Over as a road favorite under Cignetti
- Michigan is 1-0 ATS and 1-0 to the Under as an underdog
- Michigan is 4-1 on the ML and 2-3 ATS at home
- Michigan is 4-1 to the Under at home
- Indiana is 18-13 ATS as a favorite under Cignetti
- Indiana is 6-4 ATS as a road favorite under Cignetti
- Indiana is 31-0 on the ML as a favorite and 10-0 as a road favorite under Cignetti
- The Wolverines are 2-3 ATS and on the ML in the last five as a home underdog
- The Wolverines are 3-2 to the Under in the last five as a home underdog
- Michigan is 7-7 ATS and 7-7 to the Over as an underdog since 2022
Rotoworld Best Bets
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes Indiana to cover:
“Curt Cignetti is now 33-3 in his Indiana career, so we haven’t had many chances to bet this team off a loss; in fact, it’s only happened once. Indiana came off a loss to Ohio State in 2024 and beat Purdue 66-0 in the following game. The only other loss outside of last week was to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, which ended Indiana’s season in 2024. Basically, this is the second time we get to bet Indiana coming off a loss. I will take it.
There are a lot of unknowns around Michigan’s Tommy Carr making his first career start against an Indiana team coming off a loss. Coming out of the bye week to prepare a little more will help, but it’s not a favorable opponent to begin with. Rutgers or Michigan State over the next two weeks will be better spots to back Michigan. I like Indiana -7. After starting 1-6 ATS, this feels like where they could make a run covering games.”
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
