The Old Brass Spittoon will be up for grabs in this week’s Big Ten rivalry game between the no. 25 Michigan State Spartans and the Indiana Hoosiers. Game time is at 3:30 EST on Saturday, September 28 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Fans can find the game on the Big Ten Network.
Oddsmakers list the Spartans as 14.5-point favorites at home with an over/under of 44.5 points. Click here to check out a full list of this week’s college football betting odds.
The Spartans have been playing hopscotch with the top-25 rankings the past few weeks. A disappointing home loss to Arizona State two weeks ago knocked them out of the polls. But Michigan State responded with a 21-point win over Northwestern last week to get them back in the top-25.
With that loss to Arizona State in the rearview mirror, the Spartans now turn their attention to making some noise in the Big Ten. MSU already has one conference win under their belt after beating Northwestern. However, they have a trip to Columbus to play Ohio State in primetime on tap for next week, so the Spartans could be looking ahead Indiana just a little bit.
As for the Hoosiers, they’re already halfway to bowl eligibility after starting the year 3-1. Indiana got knocked around by Ohio State in their Big Ten opener a couple of weeks ago. But the Hoosiers got back on track with a convincing win over UConn last week. They also handled Ball State and Eastern Illinois earlier in the year.
The question is where the Hoosiers will find the three wins they need to finally get to a bowl game. There are a few winnable games left on their schedule, so a bowl game remains a reasonable goal. But Indiana’s bowl hopes could get a huge lift if they can pull off an upset over a ranked Michigan State team this week.
Of course, the Hoosiers are always eager to take down their longtime rivals, which has been a rare occurrence over the years. Indiana beat MSU in overtime in 2016, but that’s their only win over the Spartans in their last 10 meetings. Indiana hasn’t won in East Lansing since 2001, so a win on Saturday would be historic for the Hoosiers.
Michigan State has been difficult to figure out early in the year. I keep expecting more consistency out of Mark Dantonio’s team, but it doesn’t seem to be there. I’ll admit that Indiana is probably a little overmatched in this game, but that doesn’t mean the Spartans will win easily. I don’t completely trust the MSU offense to always put a lot of points on the board. With the spread at more than two touchdowns, I’ll take the Hoosiers and the points.
The biggest mystery surrounding this game is the status of Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. He earned the starting job out of camp but has missed the last two games due to injury. Penix is currently considered a game-time decision, so it’s anybody’s guess if he’ll play or not. He gives the Hoosiers an athletic quarterback who is a threat with his legs in addition to being a competent passer. Indiana’s chances of staying competitive in this game undoubtedly go up if he’s healthy and able to play.
To be fair, backup Peyton Ramsey has plenty of experience and has played well the past couple of games. Obviously, he didn’t have a great game in the team’s 51-10 loss to Ohio State, but he wasn’t terrible considering the opponent. Ramsey will at least give the Hoosiers an experienced quarterback they can trust since they may not be able to get running back Stevie Scott going against the stout MSU run defense. Of course, the Hoosiers will be hoping that Penix is able to play, but forcing the Spartans to prepare for both could end up helping Indiana.
On the other side of the ball, I just don’t know what to expect from the Michigan State offense from one week to the next. Running back Elijah Collins has been steady but unspectacular the past two weeks after a breakout game against Western Michigan earlier in the year. None of MSU’s other running games have been productive when given a chance this season. Meanwhile, senior quarterback Brian Lewerke still has his ups and downs.
The one thing that concerns me about Michigan State being able to cover big spreads is that their offense isn’t all that explosive. Lewerke doesn’t take a lot of shots down the field and the Spartans don’t have that many game-changers at the skill positions. I think the Indiana defense should be able to handle an offense like that. Even against Ohio State, they were able to limit the number of explosive plays they gave up, at least considering the talent difference.
Ultimately, I think the Hoosiers can give Michigan State just enough problems to keep this game within two touchdowns. Indiana has managed to stay within striking distance of Michigan State the past two seasons, and I think this game will be similar. The Spartans should win the game, but they won’t cover the spread.