Opening Line: Indiana Football Massive Underdog Against No. 2 Michigan

Indiana resumes action on Saturday against Michigan after a bye week, and coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers are 34.5-point underdogs.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Hoosiers have an extra week of rest, but oddsmakers still don't give them a chance to upset No. 2 Michigan.

Indiana is a 34.5-point underdog Saturday against Michigan, and the over/under is set at 49.5 points, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook as of Sunday night. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at Noon ET inside Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., also known as "The Big House" as it seats over 100,000 fans.

The Hoosiers are 3-2 against the spread this season.

• Week 1: Ohio State 23, Indiana 3 – Indiana covered 30-point spread.
• Week 2: Indiana 41, Indiana State 7 – Indiana covered 31-point spread.
• Week 3: Louisville 21, Indiana 14 – Indiana covered 10-point spread.
• Week 4: Indiana 29, Akron 27 (4OT) – Akron covered 16.5-point spread.
• Week 5: Maryland 44, Indiana 17 – Maryland covered 14.5-point spread.

Indiana had a bye week after its 2-3 start to the season, and used the extra week in part to make a coaching change. Following the Hoosiers' 44-17 loss at Maryland on Sept. 30, Indiana fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell.

On a per-game basis, Bell's offense ranked 12th in the Big Ten in points (20.8), 11th in total yards (334.2), 13th in rushing yards (110.2) and eighth in passing yards (224.0). It ranked toward the bottom of the Big Ten in those categories in 2022, as well, so head coach Tom Allen fired Bell just 17 games into his tenure in Bloomington.

Indiana made an internal promotion, replacing Bell with former quality control coach Rod Carey, who has head coaching experience at Temple and Northern Illinois. Indiana will also add former Virginia Tech and Memphis head coach Justin Fuente to the staff as an analyst.

As Carey looks to improve Indiana's struggling offense, he and the Hoosiers face a bonafide national title contender in Michigan. Though their strength of schedule is ranked 111th out of 133 FBS teams, the Wolverines have taken care of business by dominating every opponent in sight.

Michigan is 2-1-3 against the spread this season, though the games' outcomes have never been in question. Michigan beat East Carolina 30-3 in Week 1, followed by a 35-7 win over UNLV, a 31-6 win over Bowling Green, a 31-7 win over Rutgers, a 45-7 win at Nebraska and a 52-10 win at Minnesota on Saturday.

Under coach Jim Harbaugh, Michigan aims to win its third consecutive Big Ten title and make a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoffs. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has a 77.6 completion percentage with 1,290 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions through five games, and running back Blake Corum has 494 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. 

If that duo isn't already enough of a challenge, Indiana will go up against a Michigan defense that has allowed just 6.7 points per game, good for first in the FBS.

Related stories on Indiana football

• INDIANA HIRING JUSTIN FUENTE: Coach Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers are adding former Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente as a football analyst. This news comes one week after former offensive coordinator Walt Bell was fired, and Rod Carey was promoted from the position of quality control coach to the role of offensive coordinator. CLICK HERE
• ROD CAREY IU'S HIGHEST PAID ASSISTANT COACH EVER: After firing Walt Bell, Indiana football coach Tom Allen chose to promote Rod Carey to the role of offensive coordinator, without an interim tag. On Friday, details surrounding Carey's contract were reported by the IndyStar, and revealed that Carey is going to be paid more money annually than any Indiana football assistant coach ever has before. CLICK HERE
• ROD CAREY'S PLAN FOR INDIANA OFFENSE: Indiana football offensive coordinator Rod Carey spoke to media on Wednesday for the first time since being promoted to the role following the dismissal of Walt Bell. Carey stressed that he won't change the Hoosiers' whole system, as that's too hard to do midseason. However, he wants to focus the offense on running what the players do best. CLICK HERE
• HOOSIER ROUNDTABLE PODCAST: HoosiersNow.com reporters Daniel Olinger and Jack Ankony talk about the firing of Indiana football offensive coordinator Walt Bell, the subsequent promotion of Rod Carey to the same role and what it all means for coach Tom Allen and the 2023 Indiana Hoosiers. CLICK HERE