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Michigan State’s undefeated season rolls into Bloomington this week. The Indiana Hoosiers are 2-3, but all three of those losses have come to teams ranked in the top-10 of the latest AP poll.
It’s unclear who is starting at quarterback for Indiana, but the Spartans are currently just under five point favorites for this contest.
After a record setting performance on offense last week against Rutgers, what will the Spartans do for an encore? For more about this Saturday’s game, check out what our writers have to say.
Ryan O’Bleness
Michigan State 31, Indiana 20
This is a tougher game on the road than it appears to be on paper, and I think Indiana’s defense is better than the numbers show. Indiana’s offense, however, likely without quarterback Michael Penix Jr., probably can’t keep pace with Michigan State’s high-powered offense for all four quarters. I expect this game to play out similarly to the Rutgers game, where the Hoosiers hang tough in the first half before the Spartans run away with it in the second half and take the Old Brass Spittoon back to East Lansing.
Paul Fanson
Michigan State 35, Indiana 17
Last week, I was worried that the game at Rutgers was going to be a nail-biter, but MSU won going away. This week, my pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. Indiana has not looked good so far this year, and I do not expect the Hoosiers’ best player (Michael Penix) to be on the field. Both my eyes and my computer say that this game should be a blowout. I don’t actually bet on college football, but the four-and-a-half-point line is crazy low. Make sure our Spittoon is nice and polished, Hoosiers!
Zach Manning
Michigan State 34, Indiana 17
Michigan State may give up a bunch of yards, but the defense doesn’t give up a lot of points. Indiana has been pretty average across the board, and I don’t think the IU offense is going to breakout against MSU.
MSU has been rolling on offense since the Nebraska game, and I don’t see any reason for that to stop. Kenneth Walker III has been unstoppable and the trio of Payton Thorne, Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor seems to be clicking. And let’s not forget about Tre Mosely, who has quietly had a solid year.
MSU’s offense is very diverse, making it tough to key in one player. IU keeps it close for a little bit, but MSU wins this game pretty easily.
Matt Sheehan
Michigan State 27, Indiana 23
My brain says MSU will have no problem in this game, but my feeble, anxious heart says this will be a close one. Kenneth Walker III is held to just 150 yards and two touchdowns in a pedestrian game by his standards. I’m just ready to get this all over with so we can focus on stressing out about the Michigan game.
Matt Hoeppner
Michigan State 28, Indiana 17
The Spartans get to 7-0 heading into the bye with a relatively low stress win on the road. Indiana’s defense has been good enough to keep MSU from running up the score, but the offense will not be able to keep up (likely) without Michael Penix Jr. Kenneth Walker III goes over 150 yards again and Payton Thorne makes enough big plays in the passing game to get it done and take the Spartans into the back half of the schedule undefeated.
Kevin Knight
Michigan State 28, Indiana 17
MSU’s offense makes quick work of getting points on the board in this one, but IU adjusts and keeps it tight until late. The Spartans outlast IU late and bring the most unhygienic trophy in college athletics home with them once again.
Verbosedutch
Michigan State 27, Indiana 21
Indiana has lost three of its five games, and those three losses are to the teams ranked No. 2, No. 3 and No. 7 in this week’s Associated Press Poll rankings. Yes, Michael Penix Jr. is likely out, but backup quarterback Jack Tuttle is a former four-star recruit who has started games before, including last year at Wisconsin. Indiana has a competent defense, but Michigan State makes enough plays to scrape by in an uncomfortable win to reach the bye week undefeated.
Austen Flores
Michigan State 33, Indiana 21
The Hoosiers are missing their most dynamic player in Michael Penix and MSU has had time to plan for their backup scheme without him. Indiana has struggled against the Big Ten elite so far this season and the Spartans know it will be integral to head into the Michigan game undefeated. Expect another Heisman campaign game from Kenneth Walker III and maybe another flea flicker sprinkled in the mix.
David Harns
Michigan State 40, Indiana 20
Throughout the year, several members of TOC will participate in Big Ten picks using Tallysight. You can keep up with those picks here: