Ohio State Buckeyes at Indiana Hoosiers

Ohio State spent the offseason replaying that Big Ten title game loss on a loop. Now the Buckeyes finally get to walk into Bloomington and try to do something about it.

Bush’s Picks

OSUIU

OSUIU

OverUnder

Best BetOhio State

Ohio State's still the deeper roster from top to bottom, and with Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith both back for another year together, the continuity edge is real. Indiana proved it can beat this team once, but doing it again in a loud road environment is a different task than holding serve in Indianapolis. Back Ohio State to win this one outright.

Ohio State

• +Jeremiah Smith back for a 3rd, likely final season
• +Julian Sayin returns with a full year as starter
• +4 of 5 O-line starters back
• −Lost Downs, Styles, Reese, all top-7 NFL picks
• −O-line injuries exposed thin depth this spring
• −Lost the last meeting outright to Indiana

Indiana

• +Beat Ohio State outright in the Big Ten title game
• +ESPN's No. 1-ranked offseason haul
• +DC Bryant Haines and 6 defensive starters return
• −Loses Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza at QB
• −No longer the underdog - full target on their back
• −New starting QB despite Hoover's experience elsewhere

Julian Sayin returns for year 2 as the starter with Jeremiah Smith - arguably the best receiver in college football - still catching his passes, and that continuity is Ohio State's biggest advantage heading into the Friday, October 16 trip to Indiana. Josh Hoover steps in for Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza after transferring in from TCU, bringing 9,629 career passing yards and 71 touchdowns across 36 games with him - the most proven arm of any newcomer in the country. Both offenses have the pieces to win a shootout; the question is whether either quarterback can hold up against what's left of these defenses.

Ohio State's defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has to replace Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese - 3 players who all went in the top 7 of the NFL Draft - which is as steep a rebuild as any unit in the country is dealing with. The Buckeyes also battled their own line issues this spring, with Austin Siereveld and Jake Cook both missing extended time, though neither injury was considered long-term. Indiana's defense, by contrast, is running it back with coordinator Bryant Haines - fresh off winning the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant - and 6 returning starters up front and at linebacker.

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OSU Ohio State

IU Indiana

Whatever the number on the board says, the history says this one's going to be close. Indiana beat Ohio State outright in Indianapolis just 10 months ago, snapping a 30-game skid in the series that dated back to 1988. That result alone means the Buckeyes aren't walking into Bloomington as some overwhelming juggernaut - Indiana proved it can play with anybody, defending champ status and all.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Oct 9?vs Maryland—

Oct 2?@ Iowa—

Sep 25?vs Illinois—

Sep 19?vs Kent State—

Sep 12?@ Texas—

Sep 5?vs Ball State—

Indiana Hoosiers

Oct 9?@ Nebraska—

Oct 3?@ Rutgers—

Sep 25?vs Northwestern—

Sep 19?vs Western Kentucky—

Sep 12?vs Howard—

Sep 5?vs North Texas—

Cignetti kept almost his entire defensive infrastructure intact after a 13-0 season that ended in a Big Ten title and the program's first outright conference crown since 1967 - stability a rebuilding Ohio State defense can't claim. But Indiana isn't sneaking up on anybody anymore, either. Every Big Ten staff spent the winter studying tape on how the Hoosiers dismantled a No. 1 team, and Ohio State will be the most talented team Indiana has faced with something to prove.

Ohio State Buckeyes

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

Indiana Hoosiers

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

For Ryan Day, this is personal. Losing the Big Ten Championship and a playoff run to Indiana was the low point of a season that opened with national title buzz, and this Friday night trip to Bloomington is the first crack at answering it. For Indiana, it's a chance to prove the breakthrough wasn't a fluke - beat the Buckeyes twice in a row and there's no more asterisk on this program.