Indiana’s 7-1 start has kept the ESPN Football Power Index smiling, even after a tight one. The Hoosiers edged Michigan 13-6 in overtime at Michigan Stadium last weekend, then stayed put near the top of the model at No. 6 overall, slipping just one spot from the preseason ranking.
The win over the Wolverines added to a résumé that already includes victories over North Texas 52-16, Howard 55-0, Western Kentucky 38-0, Northwestern 29-23, Rutgers 47-15 and Nebraska 20-17. Indiana’s only setback so far came in Week 7, a 19-15 loss to Ohio State at Memorial Stadium.
Next up is another home date, with Minnesota coming to Bloomington on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. ESPN’s College GameDay will also be in Bloomington.
The top of the FPI still belongs to Ohio State, followed by Notre Dame, Miami (FL), Georgia and Alabama.
Looking ahead, ESPN’s game-by-game projections still favor IU the rest of the way. Against Minnesota in Week 9, the Hoosiers are given a 96.0% chance to win, down from 97.0% a week ago and just below their preseason mark of 95.6%.
The model also likes Indiana in its next three projected matchups. IU is picked to beat USC in Week 11 with an 86.7% chance to win, up from 85.2% last week and well ahead of the preseason number of 77.3%.
At Washington in Week 12, the Hoosiers are projected to win again at 87.5%, though that is down from 88.9% last week. Purdue in Week 13 rounds out the forecast, with IU holding a 95.0% chance to win, a slight dip from 95.9% and just under the preseason figure of 96.1%.
Even with the Michigan game in the books, the overall projection hasn’t changed: ESPN still has Indiana finishing 11-1.
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Center Bray Lynch has been among those speaking up about the respect Hoover has earned, pointing to the quarterbacks toughness and the way he keeps competing when things get uncomfortable. For Indiana, that matters as much as any stat line because it speaks to how much trust the offense can place in its leader when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Cuban Just Sent Another Strong Signal About Fernando Mendoza
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Indianas New-Look Roster Is Already Fueling A Huge March Debate
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The intrigue comes from how much faith evaluators are placing in Indianas transfer portal additions and the scorers who are back in the fold. Some polls leave the Hoosiers just outside the top 25, while still signaling that they are close enough to the field to be part of the March conversation. For a program that has spent enough time under the microscope, that sort of middle ground is exactly where the debate starts to get loud. [Read more 🡒]