Indiana has rolled over North Texas and Howard and they're expected to do the same thing to Western Kentucky on Saturday.
Whenever a team is favored by 44.5 points, the outcome isn't really in question. How the game plays out and what the final score looks like, that's up for discussion. With Indiana expected to beat Western Kentucky by nearly 50 points, it's a virtual certainty that IU is going to move to 3-0, but can Curt Cignetti's bunch really win by that much?
The Hilltoppers are 0-2 after getting drilled by both Nevada and then Georgia. WKU lost 49-14 against Nevada, and then got obliterated 70-20 by Georgia. Now they have to come to Bloomington to take on the No. 4 team in the country. Things could get ugly as this game has one of the bigger spreads of the weekend.
For Indiana, it feels like a rerun. Everyone is going to be watching to see if Josh Hoover can have yet another extremely efficient outing. He was very good during Weeks 1 and 2 and has as many touchdowns (8) as he does incompletions on the season. He's completing just over 70% of his passes and he's yet to throw an interception. With numbers like that, he's poised for another great game on Saturday.
Western Kentucky, meanwhile, has absolutely noting to lose. No one is expecting them to do anything against Indiana so any positives will be something to build on moving forward. The Hilltoppers should try to slow the game down, limit Indiana's big plays and find a way to create some turnovers if possible.
Indiana definitely has more talent on both sides of the ball than WKU, and this could quickly turn into another comfortable victory for the defending national champions. If it does play out like that, Cignetti could have the luxury of getting some younger players into the game while keeping key contributors fresh.
Predictions
Brandon Brown:
For the third week in a row, the Hoosiers have a massive talent advantage and head coach Curt Cignetti doesn't miss. Ever since he's been in Bloomington, the Hoosiers have been on point and the better-coached team. I expect to see that again, on both sides of the ball, and an easy Indiana win.
The Hilltoppers are terrible against the run, so I really think it'll be a big day for Lee Beebe Jr. and Turbo Richard. Quarterback Josh Hoover is going to do what he does, which probably means finding Charlie Becker, Nick Marsh and Tyler Morris a handful of times for touchdowns. At the end of the day, Indiana is going to cruise to 3-0 the same way they cruised to 2-0.
Indiana 55, Western Kentucky 13
