Start Time: 3:30 p.m. EST, Sept. 23

Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana

TV/Streaming: Big Ten Network

Records: Georgia Southern (0-2), Indiana (1-1)

Weather: 87 degrees at kickoff, 6 mph winds

Betting Line: IU -24

Georgia Southern Outlook

Well, here goes nothing.

Georgia Southern has had two weeks to prepare for Indiana following one of the most humiliating losses in school history to FCS New Hampshire just two weeks ago.

Despite coming out the gate 0-2 and fielding the worst offense in college football to date, the Eagles’ players have publicly supported head coach Tyson Summers and his staff (as if they had any choice):

And right now, Fields and teammates Curtis Rainey and Monquavion Brinson said there can’t be any distractions.

Rainey, the junior starting center, said he won’t tolerate any negativity within the program.

“Personally, I ignore it because anybody that isn’t speaking positive, they’re nonexistent,” he said. “They don’t have anything to do with me. I’m positive. I’m for this team at all times. Anybody that’s not for this team isn’t with me.”

Brinson went as far as to publicly stand behind Summers without even being asked as he spoke to the media Monday.

“We’re behind Coach Summers 100 percent,” he said in response to a question about how the team is ignoring outside distractions. “We’re here and we’re locked in. He’s our head coach and he’s going to stay our head coach. We’re just here to lock in and play football. (The coaches are) not playing, we’re playing.”

No word on whether those comments were delivered with a gun pressed to their backs.

Again, this is not a good football team. They will be lucky to win a single game this year if Georgia Southern continues playing the level of football shown over the first two weeks of this season. Forget about this game, it is already decided before either team steps out on the field Saturday.

Georgia Southern’s dysfunctional coaching situation makes Indiana look like Alabama.

Athletic director Tom Kleinlein is going to have the school eat that $900,000 buyout and move on. This coaching staff looks like a sunk cost at this point, and everyone might be better for it in the long run if Summers and the Eagles part ways on the night of Dec. 2.

Indiana Outlook

The Hoosiers have gotten off to a solid start to this football season, despite being 1-1. IU looked solid but ultimately could not hold up against Ohio State, as was to be expected.

Indiana defeated Virginia 34-17 before having its game against FIU cancelled last week due to Hurricane Irma.

The one weak point for the Hoosiers this year has been a porous offensive line that has allowed a ton of quarterback pressures in the first two weeks of the year.

With Georgia Southern’s defensive front four looking like the only aspect of the team that improved since last season, the Eagles may keep it close if the line can get pressure on whoever Indiana starts at QB between Richard Lagow and Peyton Ramsey.

Ramsey is a more dual-threat type of signal-caller while Lagow hangs out in the pocket, and Lagow tends to be more prone to mistakes in the passing game than his counterpart.

Lagow has already thrown 3 interceptions this season, so if he gets the nod to start, the Eagles may be able to take a bit of an advantage until Ramsey comes in and shreds GS with his arm and legs.

The running game has largely been nonexistent for IU behind their sieve of an offensive line, with no rushers having gone over 100 yards this year in both games combined.

Georgia Southern’s #1 focus should be shutting down Ramsey and wideout Simmie Cobbs Jr., who has hauled in two scores this year and is currently averaging 105 receiving yards per game.

Again, with the Eagles being outclassed by an FCS team just two weeks ago, look for Indiana to go up early, and if I was a betting man, I’d take IU to cover the spread.