Game Prediction: Indiana Football Biggest Underdog of Week 11 Against Ohio State

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0) are massive favorites over Indiana (3-6) in Week 11. Here's our game prediction.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Out of 56 games listed on the SI Sportsbook between NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams, Indiana claims the title of Week 11's biggest underdog. 

When a team that's lost six games in a row goes on the road to face a perennial College Football Playoff contender, a 40.5-point spread is the result. The next biggest spread this week is No. 8 USC, who is a 34.5-point favorite over Colorado (1-8) on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, Calif. 

The Hoosiers and No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes kick off at Noon ET inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be featured on the FOX Big Noon Kickoff pregame show with Rob Stone, Brady Quinn, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Urban Meyer.

"They have as good a team as they've had since I've been here," Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "I get it, they're highly favored and I understand that and why they are. But at the same time, you never surrender to anything, without question."

Indiana is coming off a 45-14 home loss to No. 14 Penn State where the Hoosiers tried three quarterbacks. With quarterback Connor Bazelak out, Jack Tuttle, Brendan Sorsby and Dexter Williams II lined up under center throughout the game, but each option led an unproductive offense behind a shaky offensive line. Tuttle suffered a shoulder injury in his first appearance of 2022, and now he'll miss the rest of the season. 

If it wasn't already obvious, last week revealed that Indiana has much greater problems than the quarterback position. Tuttle, Sorsby and Williams all felt constant pressure by the Penn State pass rush, and Indiana, again, failed to generate any kind of run game. And with leading receiver Cam Camper out for the season with a torn ACL, the offense was stagnant as ever.

There's no easy fix for Indiana at this point of the season, and that's just on offense. The Indiana defense has allowed at least 30 points in six of eight games this year, and it's become increasingly difficult for Indiana to create any resistance without linebacker and team captain Cam Jones, who hasn't played since Oct. 1 at Nebraska. 

The Hoosiers rank last in the Big Ten in both points allowed at 32.2 and passing yards allowed at 264.4 per game, setting up quite the mismatch against Ohio State. Led by quarterback CJ Stroud, the Buckeyes average a Big Ten-high 45.8 points and 484.1 total yards per game.

Indiana is simply outmatched on both sides of the ball this week, so I'll predict Ohio State wins 52-7.

Related stories on Indiana football:

• HOW TO WATCH INDIANA-OHIO STATE: Indiana Football (3-6) travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0) on Saturday at Noon ET at Ohio Stadium. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, the latest on the point spread, three questions for Indiana and more. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA PREPARES FOR CJ STROUD: Indiana football has its most challenging matchup of the season, specifically as a defense, on Saturday against Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud and a dynamic Buckeyes offense. Chad Wilt, Brandon Shelby and Jaylin Williams commented on their approach to the game. CLICK HERE
• INJURY UPDATE: Indiana football coach Tom Allen provided an injury update on Jack Tuttle, Josh Sales, Cam Jones and Connor Bazelak on Thursday before the Hoosiers' trip to Ohio State. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA QUARTERBACK SITUATION: Indiana coach Tom Allen gave an update on the health of Connor Bazelak and Jack Tuttle and the status of the quarterback room on Monday. CLICK HERE