Indiana 20, Michigan 15.

[Jeff Buchanan]

IU opens as a 9.5 favorite. I don't believe an opening line like that for the Hoosiers in the modern era of CFB has ever happened. Sad. But let's be realistic. Team 144 has major flaws and injuries have piled up stressing the roster's capacity to play good replacements. Add to that a performance by the coaching staff that is questionable and you have a 5-4 record with the risk of not becoming bowl eligible. It's early and I've not had a chance to look at Indiana closely enough to pick a score but M's probability of escaping Bloomington's Memorial Stadium with a win is not much better than zero.

[THE_WIZARD_]

No way SHERRONE!!!!!!! let's a hoops school beat them!

M 33 Bobby Knight 22

[Jeff Buchanan]

Insane .......

When was the last time M's 2024 offense scored more than 30. Checks notes. NEVER.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Keep the faith brother.

[Cody_Russell]

My college degree is from Indiana University, but I’m of course a lifelong Michigan fan due to family… probably should root for IU because they’ve never been better….M’s 2024 season is over. 6-6 vs 7-5 M doesn’t matter. Note: 3 years at Purdue and then finished at IU due to my major selection.

IU continues to roll. Perhaps M can be pesky due to having talent in spots. The key difference is coaching and QB play. That will be obvious in the game.

IU 37
M 17
Go Hoosiers? 10-0?! IU playoffs at 11-1?!?!

[lineygoblue]

Zero chance of a M win.

In Bloomington it will be their "win of the century".

IU 34
M 10

[Jeff Buchanan]

Cody nails it succinctly: IU has better coaching and QB play. Have to admit it's hard for me to be interested in the fortunes of team 144 as it's season has been an unmitigated disaster. We've all heard the reasons, so, not worth mentioning all of that again here. Needless to say all those factors will play in helping IU to win this one.

It's also not a game I want to delve into unit match-ups. I did that with Oregon and during the pre-game days came up with the one unit at M that I thought was a good match-up for them against the Ducks - that was the M DL v. Oregon's OL. That turned out to be an illusion. M was handled in the trenches - both sides.

It's no secret how opponents can neutralize the talent match-ups that M does have both on offense - Mullings and Edwards - and defense - Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Run Blitz aggressively v. run plays that are telegraphed to feature either Edwards or Mullings. Quick throws to the flats and slants by the opposition QB and M's one advantage in pass rush that protects a weak secondary is effectively neutralized.

M's offense hasn't scored over 30 in its 9 games so far. The mean has been in the mid-teens and not likely to be much better than that v. IU. It's as depressing as the work of Moore's two coordinators, Campbell and Martindale with J.B. Brown of ST coming in a close second as disasters.

I like Cody's score prediction of 37-17. I think that's about right.

[THE_WIZARD_]

ludacris

[Jeff Buchanan]

Indiana has moved since opening at 9.5 point favorites to a 14 point favorite against Michigan, according to the updated lines posted at FanDuel Sportsbook. FanDuel lists the total at 48.5 points for the game. The odds makers predict Indiana will win this game 31 - 17. 62% of bets are on Indiana to win. The rest are on Indiana not to cover.

Sounds about right. I think with most of the team's 2023 goals being unachievable, player interest in winning is going to wane. I don't think it's a matter of Moore losing the team. It's a matter of stark reality and natural human behavior: Michigan is a bad football team and these young players will naturally succumb to the weight of losing. Losing games affects individual player focus and energy going forward. It is said, on loses "don't let last Saturday's game beat you twice."

[Tom W]

I dunno, Jeff. If losing causes this team to collapse, then I would count that as a "loss" for Moore.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Don't read the IU FFFF Offense article at mgo. They're well written and an accurate representation of what IU's offense is like (FFFF defense tomorrow). The current article is depressing. First because IU's offense is really good and I believe the reason why is because Curt Cignetti has assembled a great coaching staff and built this winning version of IU football with the portal. A notable but understandable/excusable (circumstances) contrast with Moore's work in that regard.

The highlight is QB Kurtis Rourke - a 6 year veteran with a record of winning. He connects with a portaled receiver room of experienced, high level football players. There's a reason why IU is 9-0 and competing for a BT championship and play-off slot. Cignetti (and OC's Mike Shanahan') run a pretty much Air Raid offense or close to it and is one of the big reasons for IU's success. IU does have a credible run game but IU is definitely a passing offense. M's had problems defending against big receivers who have great ball skills in making the catch with the ball thrown anywhere close to them by Rourke

Rourke is not particularly mobile and IU hasn't faced a DL like M's this season. That's the match-up where M has a very slight edge - I say that because Wink tends to move Graham and Grant around to their skill set disadvantage wasting their quick get off and penetration skills with their hands in the dirt and on the LOS. Teams M has played this season have game planned around that by reducing the time the QB gets the ball out of his hand to around 1.5s or less. Or by RPS'ing Winks dumb use of Mason Graham. Screens and quick outs to the slot receivers have been a problem for Wink and his LBs out of the gate this season. One of the reasons is a middling pass rush by design. There's nothing official on Will Johnson returning to the line-up for the IU game. Quinton Johnson has filled in nicely but Will is the better of the 2 Johnson's.

I'll probably take a look at the FFFF Defense tomorrow but M's offense is so limited, it's not worth studying it with any thoroughness. I'm just not motivated by M'd poorly coached offense that needs and is unlikely to score 30+ points to be competitive as the clock ticks down in the 4th quarter. I'm not moved enough by this troubling scouting report to step away from my initial (and Cody's) score prediction of 37-17 IU.

[THE_WIZARD_]

M will show Bobby Knight State that they are still a hoops school!

M 32 BK 26

[lineygoblue]

No amount of reverse hex voodoo is going to change this one, Wiz.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Wiz is like 2 for 7 picking M as a victor this season. He's ignore worthy.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Hey I got the USC game right fuckers...