Indiana State Vs. Indiana: Prediction, Odds, Best Bet (9/8/23)

Indiana State vs. Indiana get ready to face off this Friday at 7:00pm EST in Bloomington as a home game for the Hoosiers. Indiana is currently a -34.5 favorite and -50000 on the moneyline. The total is set at 46.5. Read on for more Indiana State vs. Indiana best bets and predictions as Indiana looks to grind the clock to a roaring halt.

Indiana State Vs. Indiana Prediction & Best Bet

Prediction: Indiana -33.5, Under 46.5

With what was one of the more eye opening first half results, the Indiana Hoosiers made waves on social media in terms of a potential upset in their week one game against Ohio State. They entered halftime only down 3-10, respectfully keeping it close against the far superior Buckeyes and their high-powered offense.

While they went on to lose 3-23, they still covered the spread and showed that the Buckeyes offense has serious issues. It’s not as if Indiana’s defense is elite by any means, but they could do just enough to limit the high-powered skill players that the Buckeyes possess. Skill players that include the best receiver in the nation in Marvin Harrison Jr and star running back TreyVeyon Henderson.

After going through arguably the toughest test possible right out of the gate, the Hoosiers defense now gets the opportunity to shut down the lowly Indiana State Sycamores. A scrimmage for the Hoosiers at best, yet still an opportunity to iron out the wrinkles of their offense after only scoring three points in week one.

Expect an uptick in pass attempts as Indiana rolls out two quarterbacks again throughout the contest. Both combined for 20 attempts for a laughable 82 total yards. That will simply not work against Big Ten defenses, needing to find any sort of production through the air for an offense that ranks well below average in Explosiveness, Success Rate, and PPA.

With little to no Explosiveness, the pass game will garner small chunks at a time at best. There is also a high chance that the Hoosiers just abuse the run and drain the clock as they will have a massive advantage on the offensive line and can get a push back into the second level with ease.

With the defense looking competitive and more than capable of slowing down the Sycamores after an impressive showing against the Buckeyes, an under is in play at no lower than 42.5.

Indiana State Vs. Indiana Odds

After looking competitive for a majority of their week one contest against the Buckeyes and having massive advantages at every position on the field in this contest, oddsmakers opened the Hoosiers as a -34.5 favorite. Should you want to back them from a spread perspective, I would not play this at any higher than the opening number as it sits right below the key number of -35.

As for the total, points are expected to be scored at a sluggish pace as oddsmakers opened the number at 46.5. Bettors were quick to hit the under since the open, taking it down to a flat 46 as of writing in some shops. With a majority of the scoring being done by the Hoosiers, expect the clock to constantly drain as they work out the kinks with quick throws and a heavy dose of the run. When backups come in, the game plan should simplify and continue to help drain the clock by abusing the run.

Indiana State Vs. Indiana Key Matchups

Who takes the next step as the Indiana starting quarterback?

Brendan Sorsby vs Tayven Jackson

It was a bit of a head scratching decision from Indiana as they rolled out Brendan Sorsby to take starting duties in their week one contest against Ohio State. It was widely expected that this was Tayven Jackson’s role to lose, or at least enter the duel with more play time opportunities. That was not the case as Sorsby continued on with 15 attempts to Jackson’s five.

"He's one of my best friends. We hang out pretty much every day."

Despite still competing against Tayven Jackson for the full-time starting QB job at Indiana, Brendan Sorsby says there's no bad blood between the two and that they get along great. #IUFB pic.twitter.com/u1f6wr40on

— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) September 3, 2023

Sorsby grades out as one of the worst quarterbacks in the Big Ten while Jackson brings in a dual threat ability as an adequate scrambler out of the pocket. The running ability alone brings value to an Indiana offense that needs as much help as possible to create openings against opposing defenses.

With Indiana State serving as their punching bag for the Hoosiers offense, expect a heavier usage out of Jackson as he makes a much-needed leap in production in order to secure the starting role under center.

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