No. 5 Indiana and No.
4 Ohio State are set for a Saturday showdown that could be the biggest game ever played at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers come in at 6-0 and ranked No. 5 in the country, while the Buckeyes are 5-1 and sitting at No. 4 in the AP Top-25 Poll.
FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff has the broadcast, so kickoff is set for Noon ET. Fans can catch it on FOX or stream it through the FOX Sports App, FOX One, and Fubo TV. Gus Johnson will handle play-by-play, Joel Klatt will be on analysis, and Jenny Taft will report from the sideline.
Oddsmakers are leaning slightly toward Ohio State. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Buckeyes as 3.5-point favorites, with Ohio State at -180 on the moneyline and Indiana at +150.
The total is set at 50.5, with Over 50.5 (-118) and Under 50.5 (-102). Indiana has been perfect in the win column but has only gone 1-5 against the spread, with its lone cover coming in Week 5 against Rutgers.
Ohio State is 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread. The Over has hit in four of Ohio State’s six games and in three of Indiana’s six.
The matchup also carries a rare bit of recent history. Indiana and Ohio State have played 98 times, and the Buckeyes own an 80-13-5 edge in the series. Still, the Hoosiers won the latest meeting, beating Ohio State 13-10 in last December’s Big Ten Championship Game to secure the top seed in the College Football Playoff before winning it all.
Health could matter, too. Indiana had a relatively clean injury report in Week 6 against Nebraska, though RB Khobie Martin remains out after breaking his forearm in Week 1.
DB Carson Williams, TE Andrew Barker, and WR Lebron Bond also missed the Nebraska game. Official Big Ten availability reports for Week 7 are still pending, but Indiana appears to have an early edge on the injury front after Ohio State was without five starters against Maryland, including three offensive linemen.
RG Austin Siereveld, WR Brandon Inniss, WR Devin McCuin, LB Christian Alliegro, and backup S Leroy Roker III were all unavailable, while starting LG Luke Montgomery left with a lower body injury. Starting RT Phillip Daniels has not played since the Texas game on Sept.
On the field, Ohio State has looked nearly untouchable since its fourth-quarter stumble against Texas in Week 2. Indiana has handled its business every week, but the Hoosiers have shown some vulnerability, and the ground game all but vanished against Nebraska.
That will be a problem if it happens again. The setup points to a tight finish, but the pick here is Ohio State, 31-28.
In Other News...
Khobie Martin Could Solve An Indiana Backfield Problem Soon
Indianas backfield has been pieced together for much of the early season, and Khobie Martins absence has been a big part of that. The running back suffered multiple breaks in his right forearm in the first quarter of the season opener, and Indiana had initially expected him back around midseason. Since then, the Hoosiers have had to shuffle bodies to get through the position, including moving freshman linebacker Henry Ohlinger into the running back room because of the injuries.
Curt Cignettis latest update offered a more encouraging picture, with Martin now nearing a return to action. For a position group that has been stretched thin, getting closer to full strength matters, especially as Indiana tries to stabilize its rotation and regain some depth. Martins comeback would not solve everything at once, but it would give the Hoosiers a much-needed option in a spot that has been under pressure since opening night. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Biggest Ohio State Concern Just Became Hard To Ignore
Curt Cignetti had plenty to sort through after Indianas road win at Nebraska, and much of the conversation quickly turned to what comes next. The Hoosiers escaped Lincoln with a victory, but Cignetti pointed out the kinds of issues that tend to matter even more against a team like Ohio State, from missed defensive assignments to a running game that never really got comfortable because of the game conditions and Nebraskas defense.
The focus now shifts to a matchup that demands cleaner football, and Cignetti did not shy away from noting the scale of the challenge. He singled out Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith as an exceptional player, a reminder that Indianas margin for error is going to be thin when the nation's elite show up on the schedule. The Hoosiers have reason to feel good about the win they just earned, but they also know the next test will expose every lapse that was manageable a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana May Have Found An Early Frontcourt Strength Fans Will Notice
Indianas preseason exhibition at Hinkle Fieldhouse offered an early look at a roster still taking shape, and the most encouraging signs may have come from the interior. In a 96-68 win over Butler, Markus Burton, Samet Yigitoglu and Darren Harris each finished with 13 points, but the frontcourt also gave the Hoosiers a stable foundation with Aiden Sherrell pulling down a team-high nine rebounds.
Sherrells activity around the glass and the way he and Yigitoglu worked together inside stood out as Indiana tried to establish some early balance. Trevor Manhertz also played a useful role in the rotation, giving the Hoosiers another option as they sort through the best combinations up front. [Read more 🡒]