Indiana Hoosiers vs Washington Huskies Game Preview and Prediction

 A visit from ESPN's College GameDay will lead into a noon kickoff on Big Ten Network for the No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers vs the Washington Huskies at a sold out Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Both teams feature two of the nation's top defenses, the Hooisers are 7th in the nation and the Huskies defense is No. 16 in the nation in scoring defense.

The Washington Huskies are 4-3 (2-2) this year after they lost to Iowa by a score of 40-16 in their last game but the Huskies are coming off a much needed bye week into their matchup with IU.

Washington also has losses against Washington State and Rutgers, but they do have wins against Weber State, Eastern Michigan, Northwestern, and Michigan. The Washington offense has scored 24.1 points per game with 294.6 passing yards and 158.1 rushing yards per game, while the defense has allowed 17 points against per game this season.

The Indiana Hoosiers are 7-0 (4-0) this season after they defeated Nebraska by a score of 56-7 in their last game.

Indiana have wins against FIU, WIU, UCLA, Charlotte, Maryland, and Northwestern. The Indiana offense has scored 48.7 points per game with 310.3 passing yards and 202.4 rushing yards per game, while the defense has allowed 13.7 points against per game this season.

The keys for Washington:

• Senior quarterback Will Rogers, the Mississippi State transfer has completed 72.2% of his passes for 1,820 yards, 13 touchdowns, and two interceptions. The key for Jedd Fisch's offense will be to keep Rogers upright so he can keep the offense flowing

• Jonah Coleman as rushed for 681 yards and five scores keeping their offense balanced will be a big factor for the Huskies.

• No Kurtis Rourke for Indiana will be a break for Washington, they need to pressure Tayven Jackson and make him uncomfortable early and often with their No.16 ranked defense.

The keys for Indiana:

• If Tayven Jackson can play similar to the way he did versus Nebraska when Kurtis Rourke went down, the Hoosiers should have no problem winning this home game on Saturday.

• A balanced offense is major for the Hoosiers. IU will rely on Justice Ellison, who has rushed for 514 yards and eight touchdowns this year. 

• The Hoosiers have gone 54.2% on third down and 7-13 on fourth down so far this season which is top ten in Power 4 conferences for the 2024 season, getting those conversions will keep the Huskies on the field for long drives throughout the matchup.

Fun Fact: Washington and Indiana have played just three times in the two programs' histories. Indiana holds a 2-1 advantage, with a pair of victories in the 1970s.

Indiana vs. Washington Game Information & Odds

• When: Saturday, October 26th, 2024 at 12 p.m. ET
• Location: Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, IN) in Bloomington, Indiana
• TV: BIG Ten Network

Indiana is a 7 point favorite against Washington, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook. FanDuel lists the total at 52.5 points for the game. And it set the money line odds for Indiana at -245 and for Washington at +200 to win outright as of 10/24*

Prediction: Indiana over Washington (35-23)

Curt Cignetti versus Jedd Fisch is one of the best matchups you'll see in all of college football and the Big Ten Conference but Cignetti just simply has the best football players, he's at home and the team is hot right now. The Huskies will make it a game and hang around but it'll never been too close, as I have IU winning this ball game by 12 points or more. If Rourke was playing it would be closer to a blowout but with Jackson under center the offense will dial back and rely on the run game a tad more. GO HOOSIERS! 8-0 incoming.