Indiana football is coming off its first loss since Dec. 2024 after Nick Marsh's near-miss against Ohio State last week.
Michigan is coming off a confidence-building win with a boost at quarterback after Kyle Whittingham made the long-awaited change in Ann Arbor, benching Bryce Underwood for Tommy Carr.
“They'll be feeling pretty good about themselves after that victory,” IU coach Curt Cignetti said Monday. “It will be a very physical football game again, our eighth game in a row, so looking forward, not backward, and this will be a very tough challenge.”
Hayes: Michigan wasted millions on Bryce Underwood. Its best QB cost almost nothing
The sixth-ranked Hoosiers are 7.5-point road favorites for Saturday's noon kickoff in Ann Arbor. Here's what you need to know:
Indiana vs Michigan predictions, expert picks
- John Brice: Indiana
- Matt Hayes: Indiana
- Jordan Mendoza: Indiana
- Paul Myerberg: Indiana
- Erick Smith: Indiana
- Eddie Timanus: Indiana
- Blake Toppmeyer: Indiana
- Austin Curtright: Indiana 23, Michigan 13
- John Leuzzi: Indiana 31, Michigan 20
- Jordan Mendoza: Indiana 23, Michigan 13
- Adam Bittner: Indiana 28, Michigan 10
- The taste of losing won't last long in the Indiana locker room, as Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers bounce back with a win on the road against Michigan. Tommy Carr has the Wolverines' offense showing some life in his first true start, though. — John Leuzzi, USA TODAY Sports
- Call me crazy. Call it a wild hunch that goes against all the betting experts. But Michigan has a tremendous defense. And I firmly believe that if you just give the Wolverines some mistake-free offense, they can play with anybody. With Tommy Carr at QB, it changes everything for Michigan. If the defense can force a few turnovers (granted, I know, that’s super hard against Indiana) and if Carr can avoid mistakes, the Wolverines can pull off a huge upset. The pick:Michigan 23, Indiana 20.—Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press
- The Tommy Carr era is expected to officially start. But it’s going to be rough sledding because the Curt Cignetti era has been going strong for a while and surely motivated to bounce back after a tough loss to Ohio State. Just consider a turnover-free game and a couple of touchdown drives a moral victory for Carr and the Wolverines. The pick: Indiana 31, Michigan 19.— Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press
- It’s hard to believe, but over the past three seasons, Indiana has been a much better program than Michigan. The Hoosiers now have championship DNA, and it will be evident on Saturday when their stingy defense – ranked among the nation’s best – puts the clamps on the Tommy Carr-led Wolverines. While Carr gives Michigan’s offense some more juice, it won’t be enough to outscore a team that remains a legitimate title contender. The pick: Indiana 24, Michigan 20.— Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press
Who will start at QB for Michigan: Tommy Carr or Bryce Underwood?
After its offensive continued to scuffle with Bryce Underwood at the helm, Kyle Whittingham benched the high-priced former top recruit and made the move to freshman Tommy Carr at halftime against Penn State last week. It worked. Carr led the Wolverines to three scoring drives and a 21-18 win over the Nittany Lions.
Whittingham wouldn't commit to a QB on Monday, but it's widely expected Carr will line up under center against the Hoosiers.
"We need to continue to be more productive throwing the ball," Whittingham said after Michigan's victory over Penn State. "We're still not getting anywhere near the production we need to overall. We should be throwing for 250 a game, and we're nowhere near that.
Myerberg: Michigan knows what Bryce Underwood is. It’s time to move on
How Indiana defense can attack Tommy Carr
Indiana has dominated freshmen quarterbacks with Bryant Haines running the show on defense.
Since 2024, the Hoosiers are 6-0 against first- and second-year freshmen.
During Cignetti's tenure in Bloomington, opposing freshmen quarterbacks have a combined 62.6% completion percentage with more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (four). The Hoosiers' pressure rate held steady at 41.5% with 13 sacks on 176 dropbacks.
Indiana-Michigan injury report
The No. 6 Hoosiers didn't have a single player listed on the initial availability report for the week that the Big Ten released on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Indiana's empty availability report means running back Khobie Martin is expected to make his return against the Wolverines after missing six straight games with an arm injury.
The Wolverines have 15 players on the report, including six starters listed as "questionable."
Offensive linemen Jake Guarnera, Blake Frazier and Brady Norton, defensive linemen Dominic Nichols and Enow Etta and safety Rod Moore are all among those whose status is in question for the upcoming game.
Is Josh Hoover hurt?
IU starting quarterback Josh Hoover isn't on the injury report, which means he didn't have any lingering issues coming out of a 19-15 loss to Ohio State. Hoover came out of the game for just one snap late in the third quarter, but was shown on the broadcast wincing on several passing attempts.
"I'm feeling good," Hoover said after the game.
Is Indiana favored vs Michigan? Betting odds, spread
(via BetMGM)
- Favorite: Indiana by 7.5 points
- Over/under: 42.5 total points
- Moneyline: Indiana -295, Michigan +240
What channel is Indiana-Michigan game on? How to watch, time, TV announcers
- Time: Noon, Saturday
- TV: Fox
- Announcers: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analysis) and Jenny Taft (sideline reporting)
Indiana Hoosiers football schedule
- Sept. 5: vs. North Texas; W, 52-16
- Sept. 12: vs. Howard; W, 55-0
- Sept. 19: vs. Western Kentucky; W,38-0
- Sept. 25: vs. Northwestern; W, 29-23
- Oct. 3: at Rutgers; W, 47-15
- Oct. 10: at Nebraska; W, 20-17
- Oct. 17: vs. Ohio State; L, 19-15
- Oct. 24: at Michigan, noon
- Oct. 31: vs. Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.
- Nov. 14: vs USC
- Nov. 21: at Washington
- Nov. 28: vs. Purdue
Michigan Wolverines football schedule
- Sept. 5: vs. Western Michigan; W, 13-12
- Sept. 12: vs. Oklahoma; W, 17-10
- Sept. 19: vs. UTEP; W, 52-17
- Sept. 26: vs. Iowa; L, 20-19
- Oct. 3: at Minnesota; L, 20-14
- Oct. 17: vs. Penn State, W, 21-18
- Oct. 24: vs. Indiana, noon
- Oct. 31: at Rutgers, 12:30 pm.
- Nov. 7: vs. Michigan State
- Nov. 14: at Oregon
- Nov. 21: vs. UCLA
- Nov. 28: at Ohio State, noon
IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman, Bloomington Herald-Times reporter Michael Niziolek and Detroit Free Press reporter Tony Garcia contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana-Michigan predictions: Hoosiers need a rebound, Wolverines get QB reboot