Red-hot Michigan football opens as big betting favorite vs. Indiana

Oddsmakers expect Michigan to win in blowout fashion again next weekend, with the line set north of 30 points and climbing.

The second-ranked Wolverines opened as 32-point favorites for their game Saturday, Oct. 14, against Indiana (Noon, FOX) at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, according to Circa Sports in Las Vegas. And the number has only gone up since.

Caesars Sportsbook currently lists Michigan -34, while popular books DraftKings and FanDuel are both hanging Michigan -34.5. If it holds (and it’s expected to), it would mark the largest point spread for Michigan as a betting favorite in Big Ten play since 2018, when Jim Harbaugh’s team closed as 36 1/2-point favorites against Rutgers. The Wolverines failed to cover the closing line in that game, winning 42-7.

Michigan (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) has covered the point spread in its last two games after failing to do so in the first four, when the lines were approaching 40 points. The Wolverines seem to have turned it on in Big Ten play, pushing the 24-point spread in their Big Ten opener against Rutgers while covering easily in road wins at Nebraska and Minnesota.

Not helping matters is a scuffling Indiana team coming off a lopsided loss to Maryland on Sept. 30. The Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) were on a bye over the weekend, but it took four overtimes to beat Akron on Sept. 23. They did play ranked Louisville close, losing 21-14, and slowed Ohio State in a 23-3 loss in their season opener.

Indiana is 3-2 against the spread this season, covering in its first three games before failing to cover the number in its last two.

The total has largely followed Michigan’s against the spread result this season, with the over hitting in the last two games when it covers. The under hit in the previous four games. The over has hit in three of IU’s last four games.