FanPost

Michigan State favorited to defeat Hoosiers on the road


Michigan State is off to a dream start this year. Out of nowhere, the Spartans look like a potential playoff team if they can just control the Big 10. A 6-0 start will buy them some leeway. They may need it considering of those 6 wins, 0 have come against an FBS team with a winning record.

Now they have to go up against Indiana. While the Hoosiers haven't had the start to the year they imagined, they are still a very real threat. It's worth mentioning that their 3 losses this year have come against the #2 team in the country, the #3 team in the country, and the #7 team in the country. So, unlike the Spartans, Indiana has been up against the best of the best this year.

That's why the public views this as a much closer game than the record suggest it should be.

Odds

Michigan State is the favorite in this one, but it's not by much. The Spartans are 4 point favorites, and they're given -179 odds, or an implied 64.2% chance to win the game. Meanwhile, Indiana is given +160 odds, or an implied 38.5% chance to pull off the upset.

To put those odds in perspective, Florida is given -451 odds to go to Baton Rouge and beat LSU. Oddsmakers are putting Michigan State on upset alert.

Matchup History

Michigan State and Indiana have played each other 67 times in their history. Michigan State has won 48 of those games. Since 2000, it's been utter dominance for the Spartans. Since the turn of the century, the Spartans are 14-4 against Indiana.

The bad news is that Indiana won last year's matchup. The good news is, the Spartans haven't lost to Indiana in back-to-back matchups since losing three straight from 1967-1969.

Michigan State dominates this rivalry. Point to the Spartans here.

Conclusion

The playoffs weren't realistic to begin the season, but they are now. Michigan State is right in the mix, and to make some real noise they have to win the game they're supposed to win. This one of those games.

They can't be caught thinking about their next game, against Michigan. They need to stay focused and ready to take advantage of Indiana the same way they've taken advantage of the rest of their soft schedule.

This is a FanPost, written by a member of the TOC community. It does not represent the official positions of The Only Colors, Inc.--largely because we have no official positions.