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Point Spreads: Indiana Opens as Huge Underdog Against Ohio State in Primetime Showdown

Indiana and Ohio State are two teams heading in opposite directions right now, and that's showing up in a big way in the point spread for their Week 8 meeting on Saturday night in Bloomington. The Buckeyes, winners of four straight, are a huge favorite.
Tom Brew|
Point Spreads: Indiana Opens as Huge Underdog Against Ohio State in Primetime Showdown
Point Spreads: Indiana Opens as Huge Underdog Against Ohio State in Primetime Showdown

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana and Ohio State meet in primetime on Saturday night in Bloomington, with a national TV game live on ABC from Memorial Stadium. The oddsmakers, however, aren't expecting much of a game.

According to the SISportsbook.com, Ohio State is as 19-point favorite. The No. 5-ranked Buckeyes are 5-1 on the season, having won four straight since losing to Oregon in Week 2. The strength of schedule is really low, but the Buckeyes have outscored their last four opponents — Tulsa, Akron, Rutgers and Maryland — by a total of 218-57 in the last four weeks.

Indiana is 2-4, with all four losses coming against teams currently ranked in the top-11 in the country, Iowa, Cincinnati, Penn State and Michigan State.

The Hoosiers went 6-1 a year ago, with the only loss at Columbus. Ohio State won 42-35 as a 21-point favorite. Michael Penix threw for 491 yards and five touchdowns that day.

Here is the complete Week 8 schedule, with the opening point spreads as of Monday morning on the SISportsbook.com website.

Big Ten Point Spreads, Week 8

No. 5 Ohio State at Indiana 

  • GAMETIME/LOCATION: No. 5 Ohio State (5-1, 3-0 in Big Ten) at Indiana (2-4, 0-3 in Big Ten), 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. 
  • TV: ABC
  • SISportsbook.com POINT SPREAD: Ohio State is a 19-point favorite as of Monday morning on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 60. CLICK HERE

Northwestern at No. 6 Michigan

  • GAMETIME/LOCATION: Northwestern (3-3, 1-2 in Big Ten) at No. 6 Michigan (6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten), Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. 
  • TV: FOX
  • SISportsbook.com POINT SPREAD: Michigan is a 21.5-point favorite as of Monday morning on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 50. CLICK HERE

Illinois at No. 7 Penn State

  • GAMETIME/LOCATION: Illinois (2-5, 1-3 in Big Ten) at No. 7 Penn State (5-1, 2-1 in Big Ten), Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. 
  • TV: ABC
  • SISportsbook.com POINT SPREAD: Penn State is a 24-point favorite as of Monday morning on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 46. CLICK HERE

Wisconsin at No. 25 Purdue

  • GAMETIME/LOCATION: Wisconsin (3-3, 1-2 in Big Ten) at No. 25 Purdue (4-2, 2-1 in Big Ten), 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
  • TV: Big Ten Network
  • SISportsbook.com POINT SPREAD: Wisconsin is a 3-point favorite as of Monday morning on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 38.5. CLICK HERE

Maryland at Minnesota

  • GAMETIME/LOCATION: Maryland (4-2, 1-2 in Big Ten) at Minnesota (4-2, 2-1 in Big Ten), 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
  • TV: ESPN2
  • SISportsbook.com POINT SPREAD: Minnesota is a 5.5-point favorite as of Monday morning on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 54. CLICK HERE

Related stories on Indiana football

  • REPORT CARD: Indiana is turning into a lopsided team right now, with the defense playing well enough to win, but the offense struggling to get things right. Our grades reflect that in a big way. CLICK HERE
  • TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana's offense is terrible, and it's not just the coordinator or line or quarterback, it's everyone. There's plenty of blame to go around. CLICK HERE
  • TUTTLE TAKES BLAME: Indiana quarterback Jack Tuttle said his three turnovers "are my responsibility'' and he vows to make this offense better. Here's the story on his postgame comments. CLICK HERE
  • GAME STORY: Indiana kept Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker in check, but turnovers once again were an issue in the Hoosiers' fourth loss of the season to a top-10 team. CLICK HERE
  • TUTTLE DRIVE CHART: Here's what Jack Tuttle and the Indiana offense did on every drive Saturday against Michigan State. CLICK HERE
  • LIVE BLOG: Here's how the game played out in real time, with play-by-play and analysis of Indiana's 20-15 loss to No. 10 Michigan State. CLICK HERE
  • TAILGATE TALES: HoosiersNow.com video director Haley Jordan caught up with fans prior to the game during tailgating around Memorial Stadium for her first ''Tailgate Tales'' video. CLICK HERE
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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew has been the publisher of “Indiana Hoosiers on SI’’ since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as an award-winning reporter and editor for more than four decades, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He operates seven sites on the “On SI’’ network. Follow Tom on Twitter @tombrewsports.

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