COLUMBUS, Ohio — Looking at Ohio State’s schedule at the start of the season, the game against Indiana in late November didn’t stand out.
The Hoosiers haven’t been a contender in the Big Ten for decades and were terrible last year, so it was logical to think about this game as a throwaway, one that wouldn’t require a lot of heavy lifting for the Buckeyes as they schemed for revenge against Michigan the following week.
Instead, the college football world will get a treat instead of a dud Saturday when undefeated and fifth-ranked Indiana plays No. 2 Ohio State at the Horseshoe, where the Hoosiers haven’t won since Ronald Reagan was president.
Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) is one the most uplifting stories of the season. Behind Ohio University transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the Hoosiers are enjoying their best season since 1967, when they finished 9-2 and shared the Big Ten title with Purdue and Minnesota.
They haven’t even sniffed a conference crown since.
The Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1) are doing what they were expected to do. Their only stumble this season was a nail-biter of a 32-31 loss to No. 1 Oregon.
“We saw Indiana becoming a big game, now a top-five matchup,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this week. “Our guys are fired up for this one and know this is a must-win for us. We’ve got to go win this game to play in Indianapolis (in the Big Ten championship game).
“I know the team, the coaches, everybody in this building, the fans know what kind of game this is, and we’ve got to bring it on Saturday.”
Oregon already has clinched one of the spots in the conference title game.
If Indiana beats Ohio State — the only nationally ranked team on its schedule this year — and closes out the season with a win over Purdue, the Hoosiers would be in the Big Ten championship game for the first time since the inception of the game in 2011.
Big Ten football this weekend: All eyes will be on No. 5 Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State
If Ohio State wins out, it would return to the conference title game for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season — and get a rematch with the Ducks.
Ohio State has a 28-game winning streak against Indiana, dating to 1991. That’s the longest active winning streak of one team over another in Division I football.
Plug and play
Ohio State has enjoyed an embarrassment of wealth at skill positions. Last week it was wide receiver Carnell Tate who caught two touchdown passes from Will Howard in a 31-7 win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field.
True freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has a TD catch in all but two games this season and leads the team with 865 receiving yards and nine scores. Emeka Egbuka is right behind him with 612 yards and eight touchdowns.
Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson have combined for 1,388 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
“The thing about this team here is that they’re not worried about individual accolades or anything like this, especially late in the season,” Day said. “They’re focused on winning and they want to play for each other. And when you have that, you have a chance.”
Indiana’s future
Indiana rewarded coach Curt Cignetti for his historic debut season by giving him an eight-year contract extension worth about $8 million a year with an annual $1 million retention bonus.
“The university has made a very significant financial commitment to football in a lot of areas, and I’m appreciative of the opportunity to lead the program and continue to develop the program moving forward,” he said Monday. “I’m excited about our future. This is where I wanted to be.”
Bye, bye
The timing could not have been better for Indiana’s second bye last week. In addition to having an extra week to prepare for their biggest game of the season, the Hoosiers also got a chance to recover from their toughest game, a 20-15 victory over Michigan.
Will it make a difference in this one-sided rivalry? Tune in Saturday.
“The off week came at a great time because it was a physical football game,” Cignetti said. “We’ve played a number of games in a row. It was good for everybody to catch a breather and get refreshed and recharged and gave us a little extra time on the next opponent.”
O-line issues
Ohio State got a bad break Tuesday when starting center Seth McLaughlin tore his Achilles tendon. The Alabama transfer was the anchor of an offensive line already reshuffled because of injuries.
Left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury against Oregon last month. His replacement, Zen Michalski, went down in the Nebraska game.
The Buckeyes moved left guard Donovan Jackson to tackle and put Carson Hinzman at guard in place of Jackson. Day said Hinzman now will move to center and Austin Siereveld will slot in at left guard.
AP’s Mike Marot contributed.
No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) at No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1)
- Time/TV: 11 a.m. Saturday, Fox-32.
- Line: Ohio State by 11½.
- Series: Ohio State leads 79-5-12.
Facts & figures
Ohio State QB Will Howard is completing 72.9% of his throws and has multiple TD passes in all but one game. … The Hoosiers haven’t won at The Horseshoe since 1987 and haven’t beaten the Buckeyes since 1988. … Indiana is tied with Miami for the most TDs scored this season (57). … Indiana has set school records for wins and conference wins in a season, and its 10-game winning streak is the longest in program history. The Hoosiers also are one of three remaining unbeaten teams with Oregon and Army.