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The days of portraying Indiana as a pesky, plucky underdog which has appeared out of nowhere like some previously undiscovered comet probably needs to be reconsidered.
Or, at least, it should be.
Sure, football fans and even non-fans stared in disbelief when the Hoosiers went from a 3-9 record in 2023 to 11-2, including a trip to the College Football Playoff, in Curt Cignetti’s first season as their coach in 2024.
Since then they’ve won last season’s national championship with a 16-0 record and are riding a 22-game winning streak going into their rematch of last season’s Big Ten championship game on Saturday against Ohio State in Bloomington, Ind.
It will be a matchup of two of the best college football teams in the country when No. 4 Ohio State (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) goes against No. 5 Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten).
This game will be the first between two top five teams in the history of IU’s Memorial Stadium, a site where Ohio State has won 14 games in a row.
Indiana won last year’s Big Ten championship game 13-10. Saturday’s game is expected to be close, too.
Here are five things to watch which could play big roles in determining if Ohio State comes out of this game with the win.
•Can Ohio state protect Julian Sayin? After being sacked only five times in Ohio State’s first 12 games last season, OSU’s quarterback was taken down five times by Indiana’s defense and pressured many other times in the Big Ten championship game.
All four of the Hoosiers credited with those five sacks are back this season. IU has three returning starters on its defensive line and two returning starters at linebacker. Defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi, a transfer from Kansas State, is tied for the team lead in sacks and leads in tackles for losses.
Indiana leads the Big Ten with 20 sacks. Ohio State has given up 11 sacks, which ranks fourteenth in the Big Ten.
•Can Ohio State get after Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover? In his first six games at Indiana, Hoover, a transfer from TCU, has thrown 17 touchdown passes and has not thrown an interception.
Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson leads OSU with three sacks but no other Buckeyes defensive lineman has more than one.
The back end of of Ohio State’s defense has played back-to-back strong games the last two weeks, holding Iowa starting quarterback Hank Brown and Maryland starting quarterback Malik Washington to no touchdown passes,
•Can Ohio State run the ball? OSU totaled only 58 yards rushing in last season’s championship game and been inconsistent on the ground this season. Until Bo Jackson ran for 107 yards against Maryland, no Ohio State runner had reached the 100-yard mark.
Indiana’s Turbo Richard (204) and Lee Beebe (203) have both rushed for more than 200 yards in a game this season.
•Can Ohio State make plays in pressure-filled situations, like fourth-and-one inside the 10-yard line or a game-winning field goal?
It wasn’t just a missed field goal that hurt the Buckeyes against Indiana last season. They were 4 of 12 on third down situations and 0 of 1 on fourth down.
•Is Ohio State healthy enough, especially on the offensive line, to play a 60-minute, down to the wire game?
Phillip Daniels is expected to play for the first time since he suffered a leg injury against Texas. Austin Siereveld missed last week’s game because of an undisclosed illness and probably is not going to be back to full strength yet.
The prediction: Ohio State 17, Indiana 14.