Ole Miss vs Indiana: Outback Bowl prediction and game preview.
Ole Miss vs Indiana: Outback Bowl Broadcast
Date: Saturday, January 2
Game Time: 12:30 pm ET
Venue: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Network: ABC
– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Ole Miss (4-5) vs Indiana (6-1) Game Preview
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Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The Outback Bowl
– Be mad if this isn’t fun. These are two teams that play a fun style of football, they’re going to be fired up to be in a prime Saturday bowl game, and they’re both very, very well coached.
It’s been a better first year at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin than the record might indicate. The offense led the SEC and was third in the country with QB Matt Corral bombing away for close to 3,000 yards, but the defense – and this is a good thing for your bowl enjoyment – is awful. Indiana should help make this a shootout.
– The Hoosiers probably deserve a New Year’s Six bowl – its only loss came on the road in a close fight to Ohio State – and now this is a chance to show the College Football Playoff committee made a mistake with the No. 11 final ranking. QB Jack Tuttle and WR Ty Fryfogle should go off on the soft Rebel secondary.
– The Outback has been a Big Ten vs. SEC matchup ever since the change from the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1996. The SEC holds a 15-10 advantage, but the two conferences are 3-3 in the last six. Indiana hasn’t won a bowl game since 1991 with five straight losses – the last three in painfully close battles – and Ole Miss has won seven of its last eight with the last trip in 2015.
– Why Ole Miss Will Win
– Why Indiana Will Win
– What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History
NEXT: Why Ole Miss Will Win, Why Indiana Will Win, Ole Miss vs Indiana Prediction
Why Ole Miss Will Win The Outback Bowl
– The offense is really just that good. It might be without star WR Elijah Moore, but there are more parts to the fun puzzle that puts up points and yards in bunches. The Rebels were third in the nation in total offense and No. 1 in the SEC – yeah, even over Alabama and Florida – with a high-end efficient passing attack that relentlessly bombs away.
Matt Corral is second on the team in rushing with 469 yards, but he’s he’s at his best when he’s pushing the ball down the field, averaging close to 11 yards per pass with multiple touchdown passes in ever game but the loss to Auburn. He should have a massive game because …
– It’s not like Indiana faced a ton of big-time passing teams, and it still had issues. The Hoosiers allowed over 200 yards to a Wisconsin team that didn’t have any receivers, and gave up over 200 to everyone but Rutgers. The secondary makes a whole lot of big plays – more on that in a moment – but it can get burned. Michigan – who had little to no consistent offense – put up 344 yards and two scores on the Hoosier D.
– Indiana has no running game. The Ole Miss run defense could use any break it can get, giving up an SEC-high 211 yards per game on the ground in a conference that wings the ball all over the place. Not everyone ran against this defensive front – Mississippi State didn’t do much of anything – but the Rebels give up over five yards per carry. IU will give it a try, but that’s not really how this offense works. However …
NEXT: Why Indiana Will Win The Outback Bowl
Why Indiana Will Win The Outback Bowl
– You know that whole defense thing the kids are all into? Ole Miss doesn’t.
Defense is option with a Rebel team that twas dead last in college football in total defense, pass defense, and was last in the SEC against the run. The D has a little bit of a pass rush, but not enough of one to worry about, and there aren’t enough third down stops to slow down what IU will do.
No, the Hoosiers don’t have much of a running game, but they were able to pound away on Maryland for 234 yards late in the year – they have to at least give it a shot.
– The Ole Miss offense might fantastic, but here comes the Indiana pass rush. The Hoosiers led the Big Ten in sacks and tackles for loss with 23 sacks in the seven games averaging 3.3 per game. The Rebel passing gets rid of the ball fast enough to negate the pass rush a little bit, but the O line gives up way too many negative plays. The Hoosiers will bring the heat and take their chances in the secondary. That leads to this …
– This should be a bit of a back-and-forth fight that might come down to one key thing – turnovers. Indiana was second in the nation in turnover margin with 20 takeaways to overcome the ten giveaways.
Best of all for this game, the secondary took the ball away a ton with 17 interceptions in the seven games while only allowing 11 touchdown passes. Just hold serve, and let the IU O do the rest.
NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Ole Miss vs Indiana Prediction, Outback Bowl History
What’s Going To Happen In The Outback Bowl
Both offenses are going to have some fun.
The bowl season hasn’t been a whole lot of fun, and this college football season has been weird, but you’re about to get a blast of a game on Saturday morning before the Fiesta and Orange go off and right as NC State and Kentucky are doing their snoozer in the Gator.
Matt Corral will be under pressure all game long against a Hoosier pass rush that’s going to be hanging around the backfield all game long, IU QB Jack Tuttle held his own in the win over Wisconsin, and now for former Utah super-recruit is about to turn it loose.
Ole Miss star WR Elijah Moore might be out, but IU’s Ty Fryfogle will be in and ready to rip it up. He’ll have a massive day, the Hoosier running game will work well enough to help the cause, and Indiana will have its first bowl win since 1991 and just the fourth all-time.
Outback Bowl: Ole Miss vs Indiana Prediction, Line
Indiana 40, Ole Miss 34
Bet on Ole Miss vs Indiana with BetMGM
Indiana -8.5, o/u: 65
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
– CFN Experts Picks: Outback Bowl
Must See Rating: 4
5: New Year’s Day on the couch
1: New Year’s Eve going out
Outback Bowl History
Jan. 1 2020 Minnesota 31, Auburn 24
Jan. 1, 2019 Iowa 27, Mississippi State 22
Jan. 1, 2018 South Carolina 26, Michigan 19
Jan. 2, 2017 Florida 30, Iowa 3
Jan. 1, 2016 Tennessee 45 Northwestern 6
Jan. 1, 2015 Wisconsin 34 Auburn 31
Jan. 1, 2014 LSU 21 Iowa 14
Jan. 1, 2013 South Carolina 33 Michigan 28
Jan. 2, 2012 Michigan State 33 Georgia 30 (3 OT)
Jan. 1, 2011 Florida 37 Penn State 24
Jan. 1, 2010 Auburn 38 Northwestern 35 (OT)
Jan. 1, 2009 Iowa 31 South Carolina 10
Jan. 1, 2008 Tennessee 21 Wisconsin 17
Jan. 1, 2007 Penn State 20 Tennessee 10
Jan. 2, 2006 Florida 31 Iowa 24
Jan. 1, 2005 Georgia 24 Wisconsin 21
Jan. 1, 2004 Iowa 37 Florida 17
Jan. 1, 2003 Michigan 38 Florida 30
Jan. 1, 2002 South Carolina 31 Ohio State 28
Jan. 1, 2001 South Carolina 24 Ohio State 7
Jan. 1, 2000 Georgia 28 Purdue 25
Jan. 1, 1999 Penn State 26 Kentucky 14
Jan. 1, 1998 Georgia 33 Wisconsin 6
Jan. 1, 1997 Alabama 17 Michigan 14
Jan. 1, 1996 Penn State 43 Auburn 14
Jan. 2, 1995 Wisconsin 34 Duke 20
Jan. 1, 1994 Michigan 42 N.C. State 7
Jan. 1, 1993 Tennessee 38 Boston College 23
Jan. 1, 1992 Syracuse 24 Ohio State 7
Jan. 1, 1991 Clemson 30 Illinois 0
Jan. 1, 1990 Auburn 31 Ohio State 14
Jan. 2, 1989 Syracuse 23 LSU 10
Jan. 2, 1988 Michigan 28 Alabama 24
Dec. 23, 1986 Boston College 27 Georgia 24
