Indiana’s trip to Michigan in Week 8 now has its spotlight. The Big Ten announced Tuesday that the Hoosiers and Wolverines will kick off at Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, with FOX carrying the game in its “Big Noon Saturday” window.
Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt will handle the broadcast.
The meeting will be the first between the programs since Indiana’s 20-15 win in Bloomington during the 2024 season, and it will be the 74th all-time matchup. Michigan owns a 62-11 edge in the series, and Indiana has not won in Ann Arbor since 1967. The Hoosiers have only seven victories all-time at Michigan Stadium, though they have taken two of the last five meetings after going 32 years without beating the Wolverines from 1987 to 2019.
Indiana enters this stretch still perfect at 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten play. The No.
5 Hoosiers have beaten North Texas, Howard, Western Kentucky, Northwestern, Rutgers and Nebraska, and they’ll face another major test this Saturday when No. 4 Ohio State comes to Memorial Stadium in Bloomington for a Noon ET kickoff on FOX.
Michigan is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have wins over Western Michigan, Oklahoma and UTEP, and losses to No.
17 Iowa and Minnesota. They were idle last week and will host Penn State this Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
ET on CBS.
On the numbers side, Indiana has built one of the nation’s strongest teams on both sides of the ball. ESPN’s Football Power Index lists the Hoosiers at No. 5 on offense and No. 13 on defense. IU is averaging 462.7 total yards per game, good for 20th in FBS, and allowing 263.5 yards per game, which ranks 12th nationally.
Michigan’s profile is more uneven. ESPN’s Football Power Index has the Wolverines at No. 34 overall, with the No. 64 offense, No. 24 defense and No. 134 special teams. Michigan is giving up the third-fewest yards per game among FBS defenses, but its offense has lagged, ranking No. 120 nationally at 315.8 yards per game.
In Other News...
Ryan Day Just Framed Indiana's Biggest Edge Against Ohio State
Ohio State coach Ryan Day spent part of his latest session with reporters laying out the challenge ahead in Bloomington, and in doing so he pointed straight at the areas that could matter most for Indiana. He said several injured starters may be back for the Buckeyes, though not all of them will be ready, and he stressed that games like this are often decided by who controls the line of scrimmage. From Indianas perspective, that is no small compliment.
Day also singled out the Hoosiers defensive front and passing game, a reminder that Ohio State is not treating this as just another stop on the schedule. He pointed to the difficulty of playing at Memorial Stadium and said the Buckeyes will need to stay locked in from start to finish, which only adds to the sense that Indiana has given them a matchup worth serious respect. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Offense Showed Exactly Why This 6-0 Start Feels Different
Indianas 6-0 start has been impressive for plenty of reasons, but the win at Nebraska offered a clearer look at why this team feels different. In a tight road game, the offense found answers when it needed them most, with Josh Hoover managing the game cleanly and delivering 263 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Up front, Carter Smith helped keep the pocket steady, and the unit as a whole stayed remarkably composed, drawing only one penalty from center Austin Leibfried.
Nick Marsh supplied the kind of late-game burst that can turn a good start into something more, finishing with six catches for 187 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Indiana has won in different ways already this season, but this one carried a little more weight because it came away from home, in a close finish, and with the offense showing it can stay patient, protect the quarterback and still strike quickly when the moment opens up. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Defense Proved Something Important In Win Over Nebraska
Indianas win over Nebraska looked nothing like the shootout many expected, and that made it stand out all the more. In a game between teams that had both been averaging more than 40 points per outing, the Hoosiers won 20-17 by leaning into defense, something that has become a genuine point of pride as the season has worn on.
Pro Football Focus grades backed up what the scoreboard already suggested, with Mario Landino, Tobi Osunsanmi and Preston Zachman drawing strong marks for work in the run game, pass rush and coverage. Indiana also asked a lot of outside linebackers Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones, who logged plenty of snaps and were tested often through the air, another sign of how hard Nebraska had to work just to move the ball against this group. [Read more 🡒]