by The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines look to keep their undefeated streak intact to start the season on Saturday when they hit the road to face Indiana. The Wolverines started the season with one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the country, getting past Colorado State, Hawaii and UConn (three teams with a combined 3-12 record) before running into trouble in Big Ten play.
Michigan struggled at home against Maryland 34-27 two weeks ago, and while it was never in danger during last week’s 27-14 win at Iowa, the offense continued to slow down against tougher competition. Will this happen in Indiana? The Hoosiers’ defense hasn’t been great to start the year, but they’ve faced a tougher road than Michigan overall. Indiana started the year 3-0, including a 23-20 win over Illinois that looks better every week, but has since dropped two runs. The Hoosiers were blown out on the road by Cincinnati in a 45-24 loss two weeks ago and lost by 14 last week at Nebraska. Maybe coming home will do the Hoosiers good.
Michigan vs. Indiana: I need to know
Michigan has dominated this series: Indiana beat Michigan 38-21 in 2020 in a result that stood out for different reasons. First of all, it was the first time Indiana beat Michigan in football since 1987, ending a 24-game losing streak to the Wolverines. Second, this 24-game losing streak was nothing new for the Hoosiers when it comes to playing Michigan. These schools met on the football field for the first time in 1900. Michigan won the game 12-0, and a few meetings later it was as close again. The teams have met a combined 70 times and Michigan has won 60, often in blowout fashion.
JJ McCarthy has a top five pass performance: The nature of Michigan’s offense, and the fact that it has been played in so many blowouts to start the season, doesn’t make quarterback JJ McCarthy throw often — his 84 pass attempts don’t even rank in the top 100 nationally — but when he flies, he’s been effective. McCarthy’s 186.94 passer efficiency rating ranks fifth nationally among qualified QBs, just behind North Carolina’s Drake Maye and one spot ahead of Tennessee Heisman candidate Hendon Hooker. McCarthy is completing 78.6 percent of his passes for 10.1 yards per attempt with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Last week against Iowa was his worst performance in terms of yards (155), but he still completed 75% of his passes and threw a touchdown. Michigan is still a top-ranked team, but McCarthy’s efficiency in the passing game makes it harder for opposing defenses to stop the run.
Indiana has lost 10 of 11 Big Ten games: I mentioned Indiana’s win over Michigan in 2020. This was one of Indiana’s biggest wins in a long time and it came in one of Indiana’s best seasons. The Hoosiers finished 2020 with a 6-1 record in the Big Ten, with the lone loss coming by a touchdown at Ohio State. Since then things have gone downhill. The Hoosiers’ 23-20 win over Illinois to open the season is the only Big Ten game they’ve won since then, and their 10 losses have come by an average of 23.6 points.
How to watch Michigan vs. Indiana live
Date: Saturday, October 8 | year: 12 pm. ET
Location: Memorial Stadium — Bloomington, Indiana
TV: Fox | Live broadcast: fuboTV (Try Free)
Michigan vs. Indiana prediction, picks
Selected game | Indiana Hoosiers vs. Michigan Wolverines
Considering the history between these programs and Indiana’s overall struggles in the Big Ten, it’s hard to bet anything but the Wolverines. While Michigan’s defense struggled against Maryland, the Terps’ offense is much more explosive than the Hoosiers’. Indiana’s offense hasn’t shown much so far this season, and it’s hard to predict that it will put things together against the Wolverines. I expect Saturday’s meeting to be another one of Michigan’s long streak against Indiana. Prediction: Michigan -22
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