12:35 pm
January 2

Outback Bowl: Mississippi v. #11 Indiana

Who will WIN this matchup?

Mississippi Rebels (4-5)

#11 Indiana Hoosiers (6-1)

 

Current odds:

Mississippi Rebels: (+280)

Indiana Hoosiers: (-360)

 

•  The line for this game is Indiana by 9.5 points.

•  Indiana is looking to make the most of its second straight bowl trip to Florida when it faces Ole Miss at the Outback Bowl in Tampa on Jan. 2. The Hoosiers, No. 11 in the CFP rankings, were spurned from a New Year’s Six Bowl bid in the Fiesta Bowl based on Iowa State being ranked one spot ahead of them. Indiana (6-1) posted its most Big Ten wins since 1987 and its highest AP ranking (No. 7) since 1968.

•  Indiana hasn’t won a bowl game since 1991, a string of five straight bowl losses. Last year, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., the Hoosiers let a 13-point lead slip away in the final five minutes in a 23-22 loss to Tennessee.

•  Quarterback Jack Tuttle will make his second career start for the Hoosiers after passing for 140 yards and two TDs in Indiana’s 14-6 win over Wisconsin on Dec. 5. Indiana had its final two games of the season canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team that involved 28 players and coaches.

•  Ole Miss (4-5), under first-year coach Lane Kiffin, was among the best offenses in the SEC this season, ranking first in the conference in rushing (217.67 yards per game), third in scoring (40.7 points per game) and third in passing (344.8 yards per game).

•  Ole Miss will be playing in its first bowl game since the 2016 Sugar Bowl, a game in which it beat Oklahoma State 48-20.

•  The Rebels are led by starting quarterback Matt Corral, who has passed for 2,995 yards with 27 TDs and 14 interceptions on the season. But Corral will be without two of his top targets for the second straight game, as wide receiver Elijah Moore and tight end Kenny Yeboah opted out for the NFL draft. Without both standout receiving threats, Corral struggled in his last start, throwing five interceptions in a 53-48 loss against LSU. It won’t get any easier for Corral facing an Indiana defense that leads the nation with 17 interceptions.

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#11 Indiana Hoosiers
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