Indiana’s collision with Ohio State comes with plenty of pressure points, but the biggest one is simple: the Hoosiers are still unbeaten, and the Buckeyes are next.
IU survived Nebraska 20-17 last Saturday in Lincoln to move to 6-0, and the Hoosiers have now opened 6-0 in each of Curt Cignetti’s first three seasons at the helm. Their 22-game winning streak is the longest active run in the FBS, and they’ll try to extend it against a familiar opponent in a game that doubles as a rematch of the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game, won by Indiana 13-10.
Kickoff is set for noon Eastern at Memorial Stadium, with FOX carrying the broadcast. It’s a heavyweight setup in Bloomington: No.
5/4 IU hosting No. 4 Ohio State in the first top-5 matchup ever played in the 66-year history of Memorial Stadium.
It’s also the second straight top-5 meeting between these two programs.
Indiana’s recent run at home only adds to the scene. The Hoosiers haven’t lost at Memorial Stadium since November 2023, and their 19-game home winning streak is the longest active one in the FBS. Under Cignetti, they’ve never lost at home.
There’s more at stake than ranking drama. Indiana became the first bowl eligible team in 2026 with its sixth win, marking the second time in three years the Hoosiers were the first FBS team to get to six victories.
They remain one of nine undefeated teams left in the country, and No. 12 UCLA is the only other unbeaten Big Ten team.
Indiana is also one win away from matching Ohio State’s 23-game winning streak from 2013-2014, the second-longest by a Big Ten team in the 21st century.
The series history is lopsided overall, with Ohio State leading 81-13-5. The Buckeyes beat Indiana 23-3 the last time they played in Bloomington in 2023. Before IU’s Big Ten Championship win last year, the Hoosiers’ last victory in the series had come in 1988, when they rolled 41-7 at Memorial Stadium.
A few numbers jump out heading into Saturday. Tobi Osunsanmi has logged a sack in five straight games, including a huge fourth-down takedown in the fourth quarter against Nebraska.
Jeremiah Smith has caught eight touchdown passes in his last three games, and his 38 touchdown catches since 2024 are the most by any FBS receiver over that span. Josh Hoover is one of only two FBS quarterbacks with at least 15 touchdown passes and no interceptions this season, joining Darian Mensah of Miami (Fla.).
Indiana’s turnover work deserves its own spotlight. The Hoosiers have either tied or won the turnover battle in 30 straight games, the longest streak in the FBS since at least 1995.
Air Force’s previous benchmark was a 27-game stretch from 2007 to 2009. IU has also won 33 games since the start of the 2024 season, the most the program has ever collected over any three-year span.
Nick Marsh’s 187 receiving yards against Nebraska were the most by a Hoosier in a game this season. The last IU player to reach that mark in a game was Omar Cooper Jr., who had 207 receiving yards in a 73-0 win over Indiana State in September of 2025.
The trench battle should shape plenty on Saturday. Indiana’s pass rush has piled up 20 sacks, tops in the Big Ten and seventh nationally.
The Hoosiers got to Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin five times in last year’s Big Ten Championship Game, and Sayin has already been sacked 11 times this season. On the other side, Ohio State has a dangerous receiving threat in Smith, who already has more than 900 yards and 11 touchdowns through half the regular season and topped 200 receiving yards in each of the Buckeyes’ first two conference games.
Hoover’s job is just as critical. He hasn’t turned the ball over as an Indiana Hoosier, and Ohio State’s defense under former NFL head coach Matt Patricia leans on a pro-style structure built around disguise. For Indiana, protecting the football starts with the quarterback.
The run game brings another layer. Ohio State is averaging 165.7 rushing yards per game, though the Buckeyes will be without Ja’Kobi Jackson, who was reported out for this weekend.
He leads Ohio State with six rushing touchdowns and 354 yards on 59 carries. Indiana’s run defense has been sturdy all year, allowing just 75 rushing yards per game, best in the Big Ten.
Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy combined for 17 tackles against Nebraska and will need another active day.
Then there’s the setting itself. A sellout is expected, and a Memorial Stadium attendance record can’t be ruled out.
Ohio State already showed vulnerability on the road when it blew a 20-point lead at Texas earlier this season, and the crowd noise in Bloomington should force the Buckeyes into a silent count for much of the game. Still, they have been through hostile environments before, including a trip to Iowa.
Saturday has the feel of a measuring-stick game. Indiana has earned the stage. Ohio State is standing right on the other side of it.
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Ohio State Heads Into Indiana Showdown With A Problem Ryan Day Can't Hide
Ohio State heads into its matchup with Indiana carrying more uncertainty than a contender would like this late in the season. The Buckeyes are bracing for the possibility of being without key pieces such as offensive tackle Austin Siereveld and running back Ja'Kobi Jackson, a situation that puts extra pressure on a unit already tasked with keeping quarterback Julian Sayin upright against a capable Hoosiers front and a dangerous overall challenge.
Ryan Day said not every injured player is expected to be available, which only sharpens the focus on how Ohio State adjusts if the absences linger. For Indiana, that is the kind of opening a team wants in a big game, especially with Josh Hoover leading an offense that can make a defense work for every stop and force a shorthanded opponent to reveal just how deep it really is. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Biggest Showdown Yet Comes With A New Availability Twist
The first Big Ten availability report for Indianas showdown with Ohio State offered an early look at the health picture heading into one of the Hoosiers biggest tests of the season. Indiana came through the initial report relatively clean, with no players listed out, while Khobie Martin was tagged doubtful and Andrew Barker landed in the questionable category.
Ohio State, meanwhile, showed a longer list of concerns, with six players ruled out and five more questionable. The names on that list include Austin Siereveld and Ja'Kobi Jackson, adding another layer of intrigue to a game that already had plenty riding on it for both teams. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Hoover Just Strengthened Indiana's Biggest Case Yet
Indianas unbeaten start keeps getting harder to dismiss, and Josh Hoover gave the Hoosiers another sturdy argument in a tight road win over Nebraska. He guided a 20-17 victory with poise, hitting 12 of 22 passes for 263 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding 24 rushing yards on five carries. The result pushed Indiana to 6-0 and kept it sitting at No. 5 nationally, a place it has earned by surviving games like this one.
Nick Marsh was Hoovers biggest finishing piece, with the pair connecting twice for fourth-quarter touchdowns that swung the game Indianas way. In a conference race where every week seems to come with its own proof test, this was the sort of late-game execution that strengthens a teams standing far beyond the box score. The bigger question now is how long Indiana can keep turning those close calls into evidence that this start is for real. [Read more 🡒]