Ohio State and Indiana have turned what used to be a lopsided Big Ten matchup into one of the marquee games in the country this week, and the setting only raises the temperature. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 4, head to Memorial Stadium to face No. 5 Indiana on Saturday in a top-five showdown for the third straight year.
That alone says plenty about how far Curt Cignetti has pushed the Hoosiers. Indiana is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State enters at 5-1 with its only loss coming by one point at Texas in Week 2. A rivalry this nationally relevant is still new at the top end, but it has quickly become must-see football.
The backdrop makes this one even more interesting because these two programs just met in the Big Ten Championship Game last year. Some Buckeyes have played down the idea of revenge, and the Bucknuts staff wasn’t convinced that loss will drive Saturday’s outcome.
Garrick Hodge put it plainly: “Eh. If we're being completely honest with ourselves, I think that game mattered a lot more to Indiana than Ohio State.
It was definitely a "we've arrived" moment for the Hoosiers and the opportunity to snap a long losing streak. Sure, it would have been nice for the Buckeyes to snap the Big Ten title drought, but even though both teams were really only playing for seeding at that point, it still felt like more was at stake for the Hoosiers.”
Steve Helwagen saw it much the same way, saying the memory of that game may be present during the week but won’t mean much once kickoff arrives: “I think that's the kind of thing that players think about while they're working out and getting ready for the game and practicing during the week and maybe talking about it behind the scenes. But I don't think it matters that much once you take the field.
You have to carry out your assignments and play with emotion, but don't let the emotion play with you, as the saying goes. So I don't think it's a big factor, since many players on both sides are new.”
With both teams sitting near the top of the rankings and the country watching, the bigger question is how the game itself tilts on Saturday. This one has a very different feel from the old Ohio State-Indiana matchups that were usually one-sided, but the Bucknuts Roundtable made clear that the narrative entering Memorial Stadium is less about payback and more about execution.
In Other News...
Oregon Must Find An Unexpected Answer At Receiver Before Nebraska
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Evan Stewart is also doubtful for the upcoming game, which has opened the door for some less familiar names to step forward. Freshmen Jalen Lott and Gatlin Bair, along with UAB transfer Iverson Hooks, are among the options Oregon may lean on if it needs a new starting combination at wide receiver, and the coming days should reveal just how much the Ducks are willing to trust that group in a spotlight game. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons New-Look Roster Already Has A Problem To Fix
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There were some familiar and new faces in the mix, including Pharaoh Compton, Andrew Meadow and Taylor Bol Bowen, but the night also exposed how thin the margin can be when a group is still sorting itself out. Senior forward Sean Stewart fouled out early, another blow to a team already battling mistakes and inconsistency, and the Ducks now have plenty to clean up before the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon May Be Losing Grip On A Quarterback They Wanted Badly
Oregons 2028 recruiting board still has plenty of work to do, but the Ducks have clearly identified quarterback Josiah Boyd as one of the names they want to land early. Boyd has narrowed his finalists to Oregon, UCLA and Kentucky, and he is set to make his commitment decision on November 23, giving the Ducks a little more time to make their case to one of the top passers on their board.
The latest signs, though, have made this one a little tougher to read for Oregon. Kentucky appears to have picked up momentum in Boyds recruitment, helped in part by new head coach Will Stein, even as Oregon stays involved and plans to bring Boyd to upcoming home games. For a program that has yet to secure a commitment in the class, keeping pace in a battle like this matters, especially with a quarterback target who could shape the early feel of the group. [Read more 🡒]