The 2024 IU football season is going to be a bit like the immovable force vs. the unstoppable object.
New head coach Curt Cignetti has never had a losing season, while Indiana has had, well, plenty.
So far, oddsmakers are giving a slight nod to the less than glamorous history of the Hoosiers.
DraftKings Sportsbook has pegged the over/under win total for IU’s 2024 regular season at five. Gamblers need to bet $120 to win $100 on a bet IU will have more than five wins, and they’ll win $100 for every $100 bet on the Hoosiers winning less than five games.
Indiana will need a strong start for Cignetti to avoid a losing record. The schedule is frontloaded with winnable games, including a nonconference slate the Hoosiers will be expected to cruise against. IU has the luxury of eight home games in 2024, which should increase their chances of reaching six wins and achieving bowl eligibility in Cignetti’s first season.
While a season of .500 or better seems reasonably within reach, the odds are much longer when it comes to a magical 2024 campaign. Along with Purdue, DraftKings is currently giving IU the worst odds to win the Big Ten Championship game, at +30,000 (3oo-to-1). The odds to win the College Football Playoff? A $100 bet will win you $200,000.
The Big Ten teams on Indiana’s schedule that are also in the bottom half of the prognostications for Big Ten title chances are Purdue, Michigan State, Northwestern, Maryland and UCLA. Home games against Washington and Nebraska would appear to be challenging but winnable.
IU avoids four of the six teams with the best odds to win the Big Ten. Ohio State is the favorite, followed by Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, USC and Iowa.
Here’s the full 2024 schedule for Indiana. Game-by-game point spreads have not yet been published.
Aug. 31 vs. Florida International
Sept. 7 vs. Western Illinois
Sept. 14 at UCLA
Sept. 21 vs. Charlotte
Sept. 28 vs. Maryland
Oct. 5 at Northwestern
Oct. 19 vs. Nebraska
Oct. 26 vs. Washington
Nov. 2 at Michigan State
Nov. 9 vs. Michigan
Nov. 23 at Ohio State
Nov. 30 vs. Purdue
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