Indiana has been hyped as a much improved team and it will get its first opportunity to test that supposition against a conference foe when it meets Penn State this weekend. The Nittany Lions and Hoosiers are scheduled to take the field at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington at 12:00pm ET on Saturday; the game will be broadcast live on the Big 10 Network. NCAA Football Odds from 5Dimes have the hosting Hoosiers listed as a +3.5 against the spread underdog and the Over/Under set at 63.5 points.

Indiana was really impressive in wins over Indiana State and Bowling Green, beating those two teams by a combined score of 115-45, but it has faltered against better competition.

Navy, while probably not any better than Bowling Green, upset the Hoosiers 41-35 in Bloomington after rushing for 444 yards while Missouri scored a 45-28 win at Memorial Stadium two weekends ago.

What is apparent from those four games is that Indiana has an explosive offense, but its defense is soft, particularly upfront.

Penn State in many ways has the opposite problem as its offense is lacking in some areas, but its defense is one of the nation's best. Thankfully for Nittany Lion fans, the team's schedule has made it easy for the offense to have some nice moments.

Penn State scored 45 points in a win over Eastern Michigan and 34 points in defeating Kent State. And it even turned in a respectable 31 points in its lone loss, a three point setback against Central Florida.

The Lions defensive numbers are far more impressive, though. Syracuse managed 11 first downs and 260 yards against Penn State while Eastern Michigan and Kent State combined for 20 first downs and 373 yards in their Happy Valley losses.

Nonetheless, the aforementioned loss to the Knights is cause for concern as the Lions prepare for Indiana. UCF, like the Hoosiers, is a talented offensive team and it had no trouble at all moving the ball against Penn State, posting 20 first downs, 507 yards, and 34 points in beating the Nittany Lions.

Notable Trends: Indiana is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games as a home underdog with a total of 54.5 or more points in the month of October.

NCAA Football Penn State vs Indiana Odds:

Penn State Nittany Lions -3.5 (-110), Over 63.5 (-110), -170 (Moneyline)

Indiana Hoosiers +3.5 (-110), Under 63.5 (-110), +150 (Moneyline)

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