Indiana has spent nearly four decades waiting for Ohio State to come back to Bloomington.
On Oct. 17, 2026, the Buckeyes finally return to Memorial Stadium, and the Hoosiers will get another shot at a home-field win that has been missing since Oct. 8, 1988. That’s 13,888 days between regular-season victories over Ohio State in Bloomington - 38 years and 9 days, if you want the painful version in human terms.
Indiana fans will rightly point out that the Hoosiers did beat Ohio State 13-10 in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game, a win that sent Indiana to the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. This is not about that. This is about the regular season, and about a matchup that has sat in the back of Hoosier minds for a long, long time.
The last time Indiana beat Ohio State in Bloomington, John Cooper was in his first season as the Buckeyes’ head coach, and Indiana rolled to a 41-7 win. That followed a year after Indiana had beaten Ohio State 31-10 in Columbus under Earle Bruce, who called that earlier loss “a dark day for Ohio State” - which is why the 1988 defeat became known as “Darkest Day II.”
There’s even more history behind it. Before that 1988 game, Indiana’s previous home win over Ohio State came all the way back on October 29, 1904, an 8-0 shutout. That’s the kind of drought that makes a Big Noon Kickoff in Bloomington feel a lot bigger than a normal regular-season date.
The Buckeyes have had their share of tense moments in Bloomington over the years, even if the final result usually went their way. Indiana and Ohio State played to a 27-27 tie in 1990.
In 1996, Ohio State escaped 27-17 after Matt Finkes delivered a scoop-and-score fumble recovery to break a 10-10 deadlock in the fourth quarter, helping the Buckeyes clinch the Big Ten and punch a ticket to the 1997 Rose Bowl. Ohio State fans who traveled for that game even rushed the field and tore down Indiana’s goal posts.
More recently, Ohio State has handled the Hoosiers in Bloomington with a lot more comfort. Under Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes survived 52-49 in 2012 and won 34-27 in 2015.
Ryan Day was pushed in Columbus in 2020, when Ohio State held on 42-35, but in Bloomington his teams have typically been in control, winning there by an average margin of about 36 points. Jim Tressel was also steady against Indiana, with his closest game coming in 2001, a 27-14 Ohio State win; his average margin against the Hoosiers was nearly 27 points.
That backdrop is why this one feels different, even before kickoff. The questions are sitting right there: can Ryan Day turn Jeremiah Smith loose against Indiana, and can Jaylen McClain and the Ohio State secondary slow down a Hoosier passing attack led by Josh Hoover? Ohio State’s margin for error is thin, too, with a difficult 2026 Big Ten schedule looming.
The game kicks off at noon ET, and Indiana will be ready. So will the crowd. And if the Hoosiers have their way, Ohio State is about to hear a familiar old message all over again.
In Other News...
Ryan Day Revealed Ohio State's Bigger Concern After Maryland Win
Ohio States win over Maryland came with a heavier dose of adversity than the final score suggested, as the Buckeyes were down five starters and two reserve players because of injuries and illness. Starting offensive tackle Austin Siereveld was scratched after an illness surfaced just hours before kickoff, and Phillip Daniels was also held out because he was not ready to play, forcing Ohio State to shuffle on the fly in a game where depth mattered more than usual.
Ryan Day pointed to the mix of penalties and availability issues as part of the larger concern, even with the victory in hand. The Buckeyes are also hoping to get some injured players back next week, which makes the immediate injury picture just as important as anything that happened against Maryland. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got Snubbed Before A Huge Top 10 Road Test
Ohio State heads to Bloomington for a top-10 road test against Indiana, but the Buckeyes wont be getting the full College GameDay treatment for it. ESPNs pregame show chose BYU vs. Notre Dame in Provo instead, leaving one of the weekends marquee Big Ten matchups without the extra spotlight that usually comes with a clash this big.
Its the kind of decision that stings a fan base used to being in the center of the national conversation, especially with the Buckeyes entering a stretch where every ranked opponent matters. And with GameDay already heading elsewhere this week, Ohio State supporters may be left wondering whether theyll get another chance to host the crew before the season is over. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Got The Wake-Up Call Ryan Day Can Actually Use
Ryan Day had a useful decision in Maryland: he sat most of his starters and let the backups take real game snaps, the kind of reps that can only help a team that already knows it has a higher ceiling. Ohio State still handled the Terrapins 45-16, but the win came with enough messiness to feel instructive rather than purely routine.
The pass protection was shaky at times, turnovers popped up and the penalties piled up, giving the coaching staff a clear list of fixes before Indiana arrives next. For a team that has spent the season aiming higher, this kind of sloppy stretch can be annoying, but it also gives Day and his assistants something concrete to correct before the next step in the schedule. [Read more 🡒]