Indiana State vs. Purdue prediction, odds, pick for College Football Week 1 (2024)

We're set to bring you more College Football betting predictions and picks as the Week 1 madness continues to rage through the next few days. Football is officially back and we'll turn our attention towards this in-state matchup as the Indiana State Sycamores visit the Purdue Boilermakers. It is time to continue our college football odds series with an Indiana State-Purdue prediction and pick.

Here are the College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Football Odds: Indiana State-Purdue Odds

Indiana State: +33.5 (-110)

Moneyline: N/A

Purdue: -33.5 (-110)

Moneyline: N/A

Over: 48.5 (-110)

Under: 48.5 (-110)

How to Watch Indiana State vs. Purdue

Time: 12:00 p.m. ET/ 9:00 a.m. PT

TV: Big Ten Network, Fox Sports

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why Indiana State Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Indiana State Sycamores begin their season following an extremely disappointing campaign last year, going 1-10 overall with a 1-7 conference record. Had it not been for winless Western Illinois, the Sycamores would have had a historically bad season in the Missouri Valley Conference. There's not much to build from in terms of offensive success, but the only way is up from a 1-10 season and the Sycamores could benefit from featuring their running game here. The sophom*ore ball-carrier is probably their best offensive weapon and he's shown a great knack for breaking runs into the second level. He's very powerful and runs in strong bursts, so expect Indiana State to lean on him as they try to establish the running game this year.

The defensive side of the Sycamores will return six starters as they try to take accountability for last season and try to improve their play here. Middle linebacker Garrett Ollendieck was an All-MVFC selection and will anchor them as the signal caller. They also feature some talent on the outside with their safeties and corners, so the focus of this Indiana State team will have to be establishing a defensive identity and giving their offense a chance to work.

Why Purdue Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Purdue Boilermakers come into the new season following a backward step last season, posting a 4-8 overall and 3-6 conference record. The year prior, they notably finished first in the Big Ten West and with the conference notably expanding this year, things won't get much easier for the Boilermakers from here on out. Still, this game should be a “gimme” and with the spread up over 30 in favor of Purdue, this will be about honing their play calling and getting their feet under them to start the season running. It's their seventh all-time meeting against the Sycamores and Purdue holds the perfect 6-0 record.

While Purdue saw a bit of a rebuild during the last season, their offense showed glimpses of promise and they had several games in which they managed big plays from scrimmage. Their defense will need some work, however, after ranking dead-last against the pass and allowing over 30 pts/game to opponents. A big part of this is the inexperience at the DB positions as younger players begin to step into new roles and face a whole slew of new opponents. The defensive front wasn't a massive threat in tackling runners in the backfield, but the Boilermakers do a great job of clogging the wholes and stuffing anything inside.

Final Indiana State-Purdue Prediction & Pick

Ultimately, this is a clear pay-to-play game for the Purdue Boilermakers and they haven't seen much of any trouble against Indiana State in previous years. The massive 33-point spread could be the biggest we see in favor of Purdue all year, so there would be some serious issues if they somehow manage to blow this game.

There's not much to hope for in terms of an Indiana State upset win as the Sycamores couldn't far in their own conference last season. Their offense will be at its best when they're running the ball and although they could work on finding some push out of their line, they have a special player in the backfield that will likely have to carry them.

We're still seeing the Purdue offense develop after a tough rebuild and it'll be interesting to see if they can become more consistent in finding big plays throughout each drive on offense. While they shouldn't worry about finding the endzone here, scoring 33 points alone would be a big feat for them and their defense was notorious for letting teams air it out against them in the passing game.

Ultimately, this won't be an issue for Purdue to find the win. However, we'll have to side with the plus spread here as the total may be too much for the Boilermakers to cover in Week 1.

Final Indiana State-Purdue Prediction & Pick: Indiana State +33.5 (-110)