Ohio State may be the Big Ten favorite on paper, but the team that looks most capable of knocking the Buckeyes off track isn’t the one getting all the attention.
Indiana is the real problem.
That’s the awkward truth for a league that still sees Ohio State as the standard-bearer. The Buckeyes didn’t win the conference last season, and it has now been six seasons since they last took the Big Ten crown, which came over Northwestern in 2020. They’ve won a national title in that span, but the conference trophy has kept slipping away.
This year, Big Ten media members are leaning toward Ohio State as the team to beat. That doesn’t guarantee anything, though, and the biggest obstacle may be the defending national champions from Bloomington.
Indiana beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship a year ago, yet the Hoosiers are being slotted fourth in the league by the media despite coming off that title run. That feels way too low for a program led by Curt Cignetti, who has built a strong case over the last two seasons that he belongs in the conversation as the best coach in college football.
Even with major talent turnover, Indiana still has enough in place to matter. The Hoosiers continue to work the Transfer Portal effectively, and the schedule opens the door for a strong start. There’s a real path to 6-0 before Ohio State shows up.
That matchup could wind up being the Buckeyes’ toughest test of the regular season.
Indiana also has a new quarterback in Josh Hoover, who arrives from TCU. In his time with the Horned Frogs, he threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns, and he’s not the kind of passer Ohio State can afford to overlook.
Still, the case for the Buckeyes remains strong if they actually play to their ceiling.
The offense has a chance to be elite, especially if the offensive line takes a step forward after last season. Ohio State returns four starters up front, which gives the staff something real to build on.
And the ceiling on that unit is enormous. Even with a slower pace than they used in 2024, when they won it all, the Buckeyes could be the most explosive offense in the country. Last year they ranked 26th nationally in yards per game, but this group is expected to jump into the top ten.
If Julian Sayin has the kind of weapons around him that Ohio State believes he does, 30 points per game should be the floor, not the target. Jeremiah Smith may be the headliner, but he’s only part of the firepower this offense can bring to the table. Even Indiana might not have enough to slow that down.
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For Buckeyes fans, the tone is hard to miss, especially given how much of the Ohio State-Michigan buildup usually leans into edge and emotion. Whittinghams comments leave room for the broader rivalry to stay heated on the field, but they also invite a familiar reaction from Columbus, where any hint of restraint in this matchup tends to become its own kind of punch line. [Read more 🡒]