Indiana
2025 College Football Odds: Back Penn State to Cover Against Indiana
The Indiana Hoosiers are ranked No. 2 in the country and continue to make program history.
On Saturday, they will try to check off another box and do something they’ve never done before, and that’s win at Penn State.
Indiana comes into this game a 15.5-point road favorite, a spread that would have been hard to fathom before the season or really at any point in either of these programs’ histories.
But here we are.
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Bettors might be shy about going against the Hoosiers when looking at recent games. They are coming off wins of 56-6 and 55-10 in their last two games and have won all but one of their games by double digits. They’re undefeated and have won by an average of 31 points, the best margin of victory in the country.
But are these too many points on the road?
I actually like Penn State getting the points here, although it’s admittedly dangerous to bet against Indiana and their head coach Curt Cignetti.
Cignetti is not shy about running up the score on his opponents. But the Nittany Lions have the ground game to move the chains and keep the clock going — a great trait to have for an underdog catching a lot of points.
Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton were expected to spearhead a rushing attack that was going to have Penn State in the mix for a national title after coming just short in last year’s College Football Playoff semifinals. While that goal won’t be reached, the Nittany Lions can play spoiler to some extent here and at least try to disrupt Indiana’s bid for an undefeated season.
State’s quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has taken over for the injured Drew Allar, and the results have been underwhelming through two starts. However, road games against Iowa and Ohio State are tough assignments for anyone, and now Grunkemeyer gets to finally start at home.
As difficult as it is to bet against Indiana right now, the Hoosiers do have a modest 20-15 win against Iowa on their ledger, and let’s hope — as Penn State backers — that this game can yield a similar score.
Let’s go with Penn State +15.5 and hope the running game does enough to shorten this contest and keep it within a pair of touchdowns.
PICK: Penn State (+15.5) to lose by fewer than 15.5 points
Will Hill, a contributor on the Bear Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.
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Watch as Indiana night sky dazzles with beautiful aurora
Indiana residents were lucky to watch beautiful northern lights in several cities across the state.
The northern lights could return once again to skies over Indiana late Monday night, Dec. 8, nearly a month after colorful auroras dazzled not only the Hoosier State, but Florida, too.
Over the weekend, scientists with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center caught a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) expected to collide with Earth’s upper atmosphere sometime Monday.
Federal forecasters on Dec. 8 released an aurora forecast map that includes nearly a dozen U.S. states with chances to see the northern lights directly overhead. The southern-most viewing line slices just north of Indiana, but that doesn’t rule out Indiana’s chances.
Article continues after photo gallery.
A different forecast model by the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska paints a rosier outlook. It predicts the northern lights might be viewable low on the horizon as far south as Louisville.
Space weather, of course, is notoriously difficult to predict. Hoosiers might step outside late Monday night to find beautiful auroras of purple, pink and green, or they might gaze up and see diddly squat. Here’s what stargazing Hoosiers should know.
What states could see the auroras tonight, Dec. 8, 2025?
At least ten U.S. states have a chance to see the northern lights directly overhead on Monday, Dec. 8, according to NOAA’s aurora forecast map. They include:
- Alaska;
- Washington;
- Idaho;
- Montana;
- Wyoming;
- North Dakota;
- South Dakota;
- Minnesota;
- Wisconsin;
- Michigan.
When are the northern lights tonight, Dec. 8, 2025? What time?
Auroras could be visible in more states than those listed above, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute website, which tracks the phenomenon.
Beginning at 10 p.m. ET, Monday, Dec. 8, until 1 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, the institute predicts high aurora activity will be seen in cities that include:
- Vancouver, British Columbia;
- Helena, Montana;
- Minneapolis, Minnesota;
- Toronto, Ontario;
- Montpelier, Vermont.
According to its map of aurora activity, the institute shows the northern lights could also appear low on the horizon on Dec. 8 as far south as Indianapolis, including cities in these other U.S. states:
- Iowa;
- Illinois;
- Indiana;
- Kentucky;
- Ohio;
- Pennsylvania;
- New York;
- Maine and across New England.
What’s Central Indiana’s weather forecast? Will auroras be visible?
Seeing the auroras as far south of Indianapolis, of course, depends on if the weather cooperates.
Skies Monday, Dec. 8, will be partly cloudy in Central Indiana, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis. The low is expected to be around 22 with light and variable winds around 5-7 mph, so be sure to wear warm clothing if you plan to stay outside for some late night sky watching.
Why is space weather hard to predict?
When a solar storm happens, it sends particles flowing from the sun that get caught up in Earth’s magnetic field, causing colorful auroras to form as they interact with molecules of atmospheric gases.
Experts have long struggled to accurately forecast exactly when and where the phenomenon will occur. Even the best predictions can only accurately be made a few days or even hours in advance.
Unlike terrestrial weather, scientists who forecast celestial events like the aurora rely on observations of the 93-million-miles-away sun to make their predictions.
When is the best time to see the northern lights?
If the weather is clear, the best auroras are usually visible within an hour or two of midnight, according to NOAA. The best way to see the northern lights is to get away from any cities and travel to dark locations free of light pollution.
The agency also maintains an aurora dashboard that should help skywatchers track the phenomenon.
Where to see auroras in Indiana
In an earlier interview with IndyStar, Dr. Aarran Shaw, who serves as director of Holcomb Observatory and teaches Physics and Astronomy at Butler University, said the further north in Indiana you travel, the better the odds you have of spotting auroras, and near Gary, close to Indiana Dunes State Park, is usually ideal for stargazing.
“I believe Beverly Shores, close to Gary, is an International Dark Sky location which would be a prime spot for viewing the Aurora,” Shaw said. “Similarly, I believe there is another dark sky location just northeast of South Bend, just across the Michigan border.
Need help finding stars, planets and constellations? Try these free astronomy apps
The following free astronomy apps can help you locate stars, planets, and constellations.
Indiana’s best places to stargaze
If possible, head to Beverly Shores, near Gary, which is an International Dark Sky location and therefore an excellent place for stargazing.
You can also travel to Kemil Beach at Indiana Dunes State Park and Dr. T.K. Lawless County Park in Michigan, which also are designated dark sky locations, according to DarkSky International.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.
INJURY REPORT
PACERS
Ben Sheppard: Out – Calf
Tyrese Haliburton: Out – Achilles
Quenton Jackson: Out – Hamstring
Aaron Nesmith: Out – Knee
Obi Toppin: Out – Foot
Kam Jones: Out – Back
KINGS
Keegan Murray: Day-to-day – Trapezius
Domantas Sabonis: Out – Knee
Dennis Schroder: Out – Hip
Game date, time and location: Monday, Dec. 8, 7:00 p.m. EST, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Indiana, NBC Sports California
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan (Indiana), Sports 1140 AM (Sacramento)
VITALS: The Indiana Pacers (5-18) and Sacramento Kings (6-17) meet for the first of two regular season matchups. The two teams met twice last season, both resulting in wins for the Pacers. The Pacers are 55-45 all-time versus the Kings during the regular season, including 33-17 in home games and 22-28 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
PACERS
G Andrew Nembhard
G Bennedict Mathurin
C Jay Huff
F Garrison Matthews
F Pascal Siakam
KINGS
G Russell Westbrook
G Zach LaVine
C Maxime Raynaud
F DeMar DeRozan
F Keegan Murray
Spread: Pacers -3.5 (-110), Kings +3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Pacers -162, Kings +136
Total points scored: 233.5 (over -108, under -112)
QUOTABLE
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle addresses recent wins and upcoming Kings game: “Getting back on defense was a big part of it. We did well in both games. We did good things offensively that helped our defense as well. Sacramento has got two Hall-of-Famers on their team, you know, DeRozan and Westbrook. They got Monk coming off the bench who’s explosive. They got LaVine who’s been an All-Star, who got 42 points last night, they smashed Miami last night. They got Murray, they got a bunch of guys. This guy Raynaud is a very good young big who’s very skilled.” … “It’s a big challenge.”
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Indiana Pacers On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Miami Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
The Indiana Hoosiers edged the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship and were rewarded Sunday morning with a No. 1 College Football Playoff ranking and the invitation to the Rose Bowl that goes with it.
Indiana (13-0) will play the winner of the CFP quarterfinal between No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2) and No. 9 Alabama (10-3). The Sooners host the quarterfinal game on Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. PST on the Oklahoma campus. The game will air on ESPN and ABC.
The Rose Bowl will kick off at 1 p.m. PST on Jan. 1 and will air on ESPN.
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