Opening Line: Indiana Favored Against Akron in Final Nonconference Game

Indiana football enters Week 3 as 16.5-point favorite against the Akron Zips. Heading into Saturday night's matchup, both teams hold a 1-2 record.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana returns home for its final nonconference game of the season against the Akron Zips.

Indiana is a 16.5-point favorite, and the over/under is set at 46.5 points, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook on Wednesday morning. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, where Indiana will debut new all-black uniforms.

Despite their 1-2 win-loss record, the Hoosiers are 3-0 against the spread this season. Indiana easily covered a 30-point spread in the season opener against Ohio State, ultimately losing 23-3 but trailing by just seven points midway through the third quarter. 

The outcome was never in question in Indiana's 41-7 win over Indiana State the following week, but covering the spread came down to the wire. Thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown by Josh Henderson and a 21-yard field goal from Nico Radicic, the Hoosiers narrowly covered the 31-point spread.

On Saturday, Indiana met Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Hoosiers. Quarterback Tayven Jackson was ruled 18 inches short of a game-tying touchdown as he dove for the pylon, and Henderson was stuffed at the goal line on fourth down. Louisville was able to run out the clock after, but Indiana still managed to cover the 10-point spread.

This week, Indiana hosts Akron, who enters the game with a 1-2 record, both in the win-loss column and against the spread. The Zips almost pulled off an upset in Week 1, but allowed a late touchdown in a 24-21 loss at Temple. Akron found itself on the other side of a 24-21 score the following week, defeating Morgan State, an FCS school.

Most recently, Kentucky dominated Akron in a 35-3 victory. Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns, while the Wildcats' rushing attack gained 6.1 yards per carry and scored twice. 

For a full breakdown of the Akron Zips, check out a new episode of the Hoosier Roundtable Podcast with special guest Patrick Mayhorn, who covers college football at all levels for Meet at Midfield and The Aggship, a Utah State outlet. In particular, Mayhorn is an expert on Group of 5 college football. 

Related stories on Indiana football

• ALLEN EXPLAINS CANCELLING LOUISVILLE SERIES: Indiana has backed out of 2024 and 2025 football matchups against Louisville. After a 21-14 loss to Louisville on Saturday, Indiana coach Tom Allen cited Big Ten expansion as a primary reason. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA-AKRON PREVIEW: On today's episode of the Hoosier Roundtable podcast, HoosiersNow.com reporter Daniel Olinger was joined by Patrick Mayhorn to preview the upcoming game between Indiana and Akron at Memorial Stadium in Week 4. CLICK HERE
• NEW IU FOOTBALL UNIFORMS: Indiana football will wear black uniforms, coined the Adidas "Ghost" uniforms, during Saturday's game against Akron. CLICK HERE
• FREEMAN'S ONSIDE KICK: It's a play that will largely go forgotten because it occurred in a loss, but Chris Freeman's onside kick and Louis Moore's recovery against Louisville was perfectly executed and ignited an Indiana comeback Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Here's what went into the preparation, execution and what followed. CLICK HERE