Indiana vs Ohio State Big 10 Football Predictions

Indiana vs Ohio State Betting Preview

WagerTalk college football handicapper Tony Finn offers his Indiana vs Ohio State Big Ten betting preview for Saturday, October 23 from Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. At the time of posting, the Buckeyes are 21-point road favorites over the Hoosiers with the total sitting at 59.5 points.

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Indiana vs Ohio State NCAAF Predictions

Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) vs Indiana Hoosiers (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten)
Total: 59.5 Points
Indiana last defeated Ohio State in 1988. In 93 all-time meetings, the Buckeyes are 76-12-5 vs the Hoosiers.
Indiana is 8-2 against the spread in the last ten meetings between these two teams.

No. 5-ranked Ohio State is fresh off a scheduled bye and plays the role of the visitor on Saturday night versus conference rival Indiana. The Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) loss to the Oregon Ducks in Week 2 was a buzz-kill for Ohio State faithful. The Hoosiers (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) entered the 2021 season positioned as a ranked team but have not lived up to the preseason billing.

Saturday night October football in Big 10 country is one of life’s honest reminders that summer has come and gone and the winter holidays are arriving. This Big Ten East Division battle in Bloomington, Indiana on Memorial Stadium grass is scheduled for a 7:30pm ET kickoff. The forecast calls for near-perfect fall football conditions with temperatures in the low 60s, a 10 percent chance of precipitation, and a soft 5 mph breeze throughout the game.

The Hoosiers are in search of their first league win. With apologies to the applecart, might we suggest the Hoosiers call off the search and save their energy for the matchup against Goliath. Indiana fell to tradition-rich Michigan State last weekend in a game that was as close as the 20-15 final score.

The Hoosiers closed the game with 10 more first downs than the Spartans and were more efficient on third downs converting 8-of-20 attempts. The Indiana offense was nearly 100 yards more effective than Sparky and owned time of possession 33:27. The Hoosiers were minus-1 in the turnover category.

Michigan State and their faithful were reminded of how capable the Hoosiers are defensively. In a game that featured less than 600 yards of total offense, the Spartans were consistent in their part of the contribution. Michigan State had four scoring drives in the game and all could be considered short fields (less than 65 yards). Indiana’s preseason 17th national ranking was in large based on a 2020 season in which the Hoosiers’ offense outperformed their peripherals.

Ohio State’s table for Saturday’s contest against Indiana is perfectly set. The Buckeyes enter Memorial Stadium winners of four straight. OSU has outscored opponents 218-57 across those four wins. First-year and highly touted C.J. Stroud has found his star and has a different gate and posture than he did after the team’s Week 2 loss to the Pac-12 Ducks.

The Buckeyes are a top-10 FBS passing offense (352.2 yards per game) and top the total yards (562.7 per game) chart in the college ranks. Ohio State (SP+ 29.4) and the Georgia Bulldogs (SP+ 29.7) sit atop the SP+ rankings with a significant gap to No. 3 Alabama (SP+ 26.9) with a similar differential to a surprising No. 4 Clemson (SP+ 23.1) squad. Indiana (SP+ 7.8) is ranked 46th in Bill Connelly’s measure of college football efficiency.

The Buckeyes have performed to overwhelming evidence that the team’s young group has grown since the setback to the Oregon Ducks at the Horseshoe in early September. The Hoosiers’ four losses have all been to ranked opponents. The Buckeyes have performed for their backers with a 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS mark. Indiana (1-5 ATS) has covered the bookmakers’ number in one of their two straight-up wins.

Circa of Las Vegas, opened the Buckeyes as -19-point road favorites for Saturday night’s event in Bloomington. Sharp money came out of the coffee shop on Monday morning, taking the dog and the points lowering Ohio State’s responsibility to minus-18. By the close of business on Monday night, a combination of the Joe’s and the Pro’s assisted in pushing a Buckeye’s lay to minus-20 points. At the midweek morning bell, the Circa group adjusted their spread and currently have Ohio State at minus-21 points over league-mate Indiana.

Indiana came into the 2021 campaign overvalued after a 2020 campaign that produced offensive numbers that were smoke and mirrors, yardage, and scoring that the Hoosiers were not capable of duplicating. The Hoosiers offered zero entertainment value in a 24-0 loss to Penn State and opened the season with little to no respect for game possessions. Last Saturday’s closely contested loss to Michigan State was more about the Spartans than the Hoosiers.

It will take a gargantuan effort with a percentage of luck tossed in for the Hoosiers to stay within the oddsmakers three touchdown Buckeye handicap. Divine intervention is required for an Indiana outright upset.

🏈USC is 21-9 against the spread following a straight-up loss. The Trojans have piled up a lot of losses recently, but they do have a tendency to bounce back. @FinnatWagerTalk offers his Notre Dame vs USC betting preview.#FightOn | #GoIrish https://t.co/WsVwfbZjjL

— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) October 21, 2021

Indiana vs Ohio State Analysis from The GoldSheet

The door to the College Football Playoff might’ve reopened for Ohio State as the Buckeyes have meetings with a trio of ranked foes remaining and a potential hookup with a fourth in the Big Ten Championship Game in front of them. If they can roll the table and run up some scores, Ryan Day’s Buckeyes inclusion in the final four remains very doable. The Buckeyes have been running up the margins, beating their last three foes by an aggregate 177-37 (an average margin of 47 points per game) in a reign of terror. Meanwhile, Tom Allen’s Indiana crew not getting chances to “crowd surf” the coach much this season, as the reality that players make teams comes into focus. Backup QB Jack Tuttle produced just 188 yards passing on 52 attempts last week in disappointing loss to Michigan State, and while team might get a bump from potential return of first-choice QB Michael Penix Jr. this week, the reality is that only Hoosiers wins this season have come against Idaho and Western Kentucky. The Buckeyes also had the week off and have won 15 in a row after a bye, and covered five of last six on the road when rested.

Indiana vs Ohio State Video Preview

Since 2019, Ohio State is 7-1-1 against the spread in conference road games. Can the Hoosiers slow down CJ Stroud’s explosive offense? WagerTalk college football handicappers Kelly Stewart, Dave Cokin and Adam Trigger offer their Indiana vs Ohio State predictions.

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