The Michigan State Spartans dropped six straight ATS, but showed they’re still a team to be reckoned with in a crazy upset win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
With new found vigor, the Mark Dantonio led Spartans will host a Hoosier team mired in a three game losing skid.
ODDS
BookMaker opened the spread with the Spartans as 17-point chalk over the Hoosiers. The spread currently sits at 16.5-points with bettors still gun shy when it comes to laying points with Michigan State.
The Spartans are one of three unbeaten teams in the Big Ten, but they’ve been anything but impressive against the spread. The oddsmakers have consistently overestimated the Spartans as Michigan State is just 1-6 ATS, though that one pointspread triumph occurred last week in the “Big House.”
For those that like to play on the total, it’s risen from 61 to 63.5, but there’s still time to play on an over that has paid out in each of the last seven head-to-head meetings between these teams.
WHEN THE INDIANA HOOSIERS HAVE THE BALL
Offensively, the Hoosiers can hold their own, averaging 34.1 points per game, but the passing game is their key strength.
On the defensive side, the Spartans are much better against the rush than against the pass. Indiana’s mediocre running game may have issues. Likely to get stopped on the ground, look for the Hoosiers to turn to Nate Sudfeld early and often. The senior quarterback is completing 63% of his passes for 1,741 yards and 11 passing touchdowns. He’s also rushed for three more.
Keep an eye on this game early. If the Hoosiers are able to get anything on the ground, that’ll be a huge plus for Indiana. They’ll get the yards in the air, but if they’re able to rush for a first down in third and short situations, you may be able to get a solid price on the Hoosiers to beat the spread, keeping the game close as they were able to do against Ohio State earlier this year.
The Spartans, however, did well shutting down the Wolverines on third down, as they converted just four of 15 chances.
WHEN THE MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS HAVE THE BALL
Watch for a bit of a letdown after an emotional win over Michigan last week. The Spartans may come out of the gate a bit slow, but don’t look for it to last long. Dantonio is a good coach and will have his team ready to play.
Michigan State is at home and going up against a rather poor Hoosiers’ defense that’s middle of the road against the run and one of college football’s worst teams against the pass.
Quarterback Connor Cook should have a field day. He’s completing less of his passes than Sudfeld at just 57.2%, but he’s been able to keep up in yards with 1,662 and has an even better touchdown to interception ratio of 13:2 compared to Sudfeld’s 11:3.
Of course, the rushing attack has also produced. The team has 14 rushing touchdowns with eight coming from L.J. Scott who leads the team with 434 yards on 5.6 yards per carry.
Cook threw for 328 yards last week, topping 300 yards for the second straight week. There’s no reason to expect anything different against Indiana’s porous pass defense. If Sudfeld can lead Indiana to an early lead, jump on the Spartans behind Cook and Scott.
BETTING TRENDS AND MATCHUPS
At 1-6, Michigan State has been flat out abysmal ATS this season. It’s the Spartans, however, that’s beaten the spread each of the last two times these teams matched up.
The Spartans have won each game dating back to 2007, and all but one ATS, going 5-1 ATS in that span.
Of course, this is the same Spartans team that’s winless ATS in their last four home games. Still they’re 15-6-1 ATS in their last 22 against teams with a winning record.
On the other side, the Hoosiers are 6-14-2 ATS in their last 22 conference games and often underperform on the road, going 4-10 ATS in their last 14 away from Bloomington.
BookMaker opened the spread for this game at -17 in favor of the Spartans. The NCAA lines total surfaced at 61. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The matchup between the Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan State Spartans will take place Saturday, October 24, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Spartan Stadium. You can watch the game live on ABC and ESPN2.
