Michigan gets Big Noon slot for Week 8 home game vs. unbeaten Indiana

Michigan will host defending national champion Indiana at noon on Fox in Week 8, according to the Detroit Free Press. The game at Michigan Stadium is the conference's top television window of the day, and the Wolverines will have spent most of October trying to steady a season that has slipped away from them.

It will be Michigan's third Big Noon appearance of 2026, the Free Press reported. The first two went one each way. The Wolverines beat Oklahoma 17-10 in Week 2, then lost 20-14 at Minnesota just before their bye. That loss left Michigan at 3-2 and 0-2 in Big Ten play. The Free Press noted that the program had started 0-2 in the league only once before since 1967, in 2014, Brady Hoke's last season.

The offense is the main problem in Kyle Whittingham's first year. Jason Beck's unit has scored fewer than 20 points in four of five games. Michigan's turnover margin is minus-4, tied with Rutgers for last in the conference and 122nd among 138 FBS teams. The Free Press also reported that the staff is sticking with quarterback Bryce Underwood and with Beck as play-caller.

Indiana has won 22 straight games and is 33-2 since the start of 2024. The Hoosiers average 40.3 points per game. Running backs Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. both have more than 550 rushing yards, and receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, a Michigan State transfer, both have more than 525 receiving yards. Quarterback Josh Hoover has 17 touchdown passes and no interceptions. The Free Press pointed out that the weak nonconference schedule inflated some of those numbers. Indiana also had to hold off Northwestern 29-23 and came back from a double-digit deficit to beat Nebraska 20-17.

The teams last played in 2024, Curt Cignetti's first season, when Indiana built a two-touchdown lead in the first half and held on to win 20-15 in Bloomington. Michigan has not lost back-to-back games to Indiana since 1958 and 1959.

Before that game, both teams have big tests this Saturday. The streak is at risk at noon on Fox, when No. 5 Indiana (6-0) hosts No. 4 Ohio State (5-1). Ohio State is favored at -163 on Novig, one of the venues pricing the game, and FanDuel has the Buckeyes at -166. Indiana is getting 3.5 points at home, and the total is 50.5. Full prices are on the game page.

Michigan comes back from its bye to host Penn State (3-3) at 3:30 p.m. on CBS. The Wolverines are 6.5-point favorites and are priced at -217 on Novig and -230 at FanDuel. The total of 41.5 reflects how much both offenses have struggled. Prices are on the game page.

A win over Penn State would give Michigan its first Big Ten victory before Indiana comes to Ann Arbor. A loss would drop the Wolverines to 0-3 in league play heading into the noon game.