Opening Line: Indiana Football Favored Against Northwestern in Week 6

The Hoosiers opened as two-score favorites for Saturday's game at Northwestern with a chance to improve to 6-0.

Indiana's Amare Ferrell (25) and Jamier Johnson (9) celebrate a stop against Maryland at Memorial Stadium. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Oddsmakers give Indiana a strong chance to keep its undefeated season alive on Saturday at Northwestern.

Indiana opened as 9.5-point favorites, and the spread has already moved to 11.5 points in the Hoosiers' favor as of Sunday morning on the FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is 43.5 points. Indiana's moneyline odds are minus-520, and Northwestern is a plus-385 underdog on the moneyline.

Kickoff between Indiana and Northwestern is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET in Evanston, Ill., and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.

Indiana football against the spread in 2024

• Week 1: Indiana did not cover a 25.5-point spread as favorites in its 31-7 win at home against Florida International. The game went under 52 points.

• Week 2: Indiana covered a 44.5-point spread as favorites in its 77-3 win at home against Western Illinois. The game went over 54.5 points.

• Week 3: Indiana covered a 4-point spread as favorites in its 42-13 win at UCLA. The game went over 46.5 points.

• Week 4: Indiana covered a 28.5-point spread as a favorite in its 52-14 win at home against Charlotte. The game went over 51 points.

• Week 5: Indiana covered a 7.5-point spread as a favorite in its 42-28 win at home against Maryland. The game went over 50.5 points.

Indiana improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1967 on Saturday with its win over Maryland. The Hoosiers are one of five undefeated Big Ten teams and one of two teams with a 2-0 record in conference play, along with Michigan. Indiana leads the Big Ten with 244 points scored, and Ohio State is next with 195 points.

Against Maryland, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke completed 22 of 33 passes for 359 yards and three inteceptions. Indiana went four games without a turnover, but Rourke threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on Saturday. Despite losing the turnover margin 4-0, Indiana's defense stepped up with crucial stops after each turnover.

Indiana won its most recent matchup against Northwestern 34-3 at home during the 2019 season, but it lost the previous five games dating back to the 2009 season. Indiana has not won at Northwestern since 1993.

Northwestern enters the game with a 2-2 record in coach David Braun's second season. The Wildcats defeated Miami (Ohio) 13-6 at home in Week 1, lost at home to Duke 26-20 in double-over time in Week 2, defeated Eastern Illinois 31-7 at home in Week 3 and lost 24-5 at Washington in Week 4.

Northwestern began the season with Mike Wright at quarterback, but he was benched following the first two games. Sophomore Jack Lausch has started the last two games and has completed 28 of 58 pass attempts (48.2%) for 280 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has 20 carries for 83 yards.

This game will be played at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, a temporary stadium on the lakefront. Northwestern tore down Ryan Field after the 2023 season and is in the process of building a new stadium.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats will play the majority of their football games at Martin Stadium during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Capacity is approximately 12,000.

Related stories on Indiana football

• INDIANA OVERCOMES MISTAKES TO BEAT MARYLAND: The Hoosiers gave Maryland chances to take over the game, but Indiana prevented that from happening in a 42-28 victory. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT CURT CIGNETTI SAID: Read Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti's comments after Indiana's 42-28 win over Maryland. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT ROURKE SAID: Here's the full transcript and video of Kurtis Rourke's comments after Indiana's win over Maryland. CLICK HERE

• CIGNETTI, PLAYERS APPRECIATE FAN SUPPORT: Despite rain, the largest crowd of the season showed up at Memorial Stadium to watch Indiana defeat Maryland. Later, Curt Cignetti sent a special message of thanks to IU students. CLICK HERE

• FOR KAMARA, BEATING MARYLAND WAS PERSONAL: Maryland did not offer a scholarship to Mikail Kamara out of Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Va. That made Saturday’s 42-28 win over the Terrapins extra special for the Hoosiers’ defensive lineman, who began his career at the FCS level at James Madison. CLICK HERE

• THIS WAS A DAY FOR INDIANA'S DEFENSE: The Hoosiers could have folded, but the defense ensured that they didn't. Todd's Take gives the Indiana defense proper credit for their winning effort. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: Relieve all the action of Indiana's win over Maryland with Todd Golden's live blog. CLICK HERE