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ESPN FPI Gives Top 5 College Football Team Almost No Shot At Winning On Saturday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Nov 20, 2024 2:17 PM ET

Saturday's slate of college football games includes a matchup of two Top 5 teams that are fighting to stay in the College Football Playoff race.

Two undefeated teams are playing their first contests of the year against ranked teams. No. 19 Army (9-0) is set to play No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1) at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. No. 5 Indiana (10-0) will play No. 2 Ohio State at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

Indiana will enter the Week 13 matchup with the third-best average scoring margin in the country (+25.2). Ohio State has the best scoring margin in 2024 (+27.5). One team's average will surely take a hit on Saturday.

ESPN's FPI thinks the Hoosiers don't have much of a chance of defeating the Buckeyes. Their model gives Indiana a 26.8% chance of staying undefeated after Saturday. Ohio State has a 73.2% chance of improving to 10-1 with a rivalry matchup against Michigan looming on Nov. 30.

ESPN Bets doesn't care much for Indiana's chances either. The Hoosiers are 13.5-point underdogs to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes enjoy an 80-12-5 lead in their series with Indiana. Ohio State has won 29 straight, including a 23-3 win over the Hoosiers in 2023. Indiana's last victory over the Buckeyes came in 1988 when the Hoosiers knocked off Ohio State 41-7 in Bloomington.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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