Opening Line: Oddsmakers Predict Blowout Win for Indiana Against Indiana State

The Indiana Hoosiers are favored by more than 30 points in their Week 2 matchup against the Indiana State Sycamores entering Friday night's matchup at 7 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana begins the nonconference portion of the 2023 season with an in-state matchup against the Indiana Sycamores.

Both teams' seasons started off in the loss column, with the Hoosiers losing 23-3 at home to No. 3 Ohio State. Indiana State hosted Eastern Illinois Thursday night in Terre Haute, and it was a rough start to the Sycamores' season, losing 27-0.

Approaching the Friday night matchup between Indiana and Indiana State, oddsmakers heavily favor the Hoosiers. Indiana is a 30.5-point favorite, and the over/under is set at 43.5 points, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook on Friday morning.

Indiana's History Against the Spread in 2023

• Week 1: Indiana covered 30-point spread in 23-3 loss to Ohio State.

The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. If this prediction holds true, Week 2 could serve as a much-needed confidence builder for Indiana's young quarterbacks. 

Indiana coach Tom Allen revealed after the loss to Ohio State that his plan was to start Brendan Sorsby against the Buckeyes, while also playing fellow redshirt freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson. Sorsby and Jackson combined for just 10 pass attempts at the college level entering this game, so Allen felt it was fair to give both an opportunity. 

“You have spring ball, you have summer, you have fall camp and they never get hit and it’s not full-bore live football played in the game,” Allen said. “And they need to play in the game for us to truly be able to – it was one guy would have a good practice, another guy, back and forth, a good week, just all kind of like, ‘Man, they’re so similar.’ So we felt like the best thing to do was let them, see them play.”

Sorsby completed 8-of-16 passes for 58 yards, with zero touchdowns or interceptions. He rushed six times for negative two yards, factoring in yards lost through sacks. Jackson completed 1-of-5 pass attempts for 24 yards and gained 11 yards on three carries. Overall, Saturday's game provided no clear answers moving forward.

Allen said the plan all along was to play both quarterbacks in the first two games, starting Sorsby against Ohio State and giving Jackson the first reps against Indiana State. It's unclear how long Indiana will use the two-quarterback approach, but Allen said he would eventually like to stick with one. 

The other factor is quarterback Dexter Williams II, who's recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the 2022 season finale. Allen said Williams could return midseason, or perhaps a week or two earlier. Williams likely would have been Indiana's Week 1 starter if not for his injury, as he helped the Hoosiers win at Michigan State last season and showed promising traits as a runner.

On the other sideline, not much went right for Indiana State in Week 1. Quarterback Gavin Screws completed 13-of-24 passes for 116 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The Sycamores ran the ball 35 times for 103 yards, good for 2.9 yards per carry. Indiana State also lost two fumbles, which helped Eastern Illinois earn a commanding 27-0 road win.

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• OFFENSIVE LINE IMPROVING: Indiana's offensive line was vulnerable in recent seasons, but the group held its own Saturday against Ohio State. Under Bob Bostad's no-nonsense leadership, players and coaches agree the offensive line has taken a step forward. CLICK HERE
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