Noon ET | No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0) No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1) | FOX
Spread: Ohio State -13.5 | Total: 51.5
This is the game of the day in the Big Ten and the game of the day in college football. It’s the third B1G conference game featuring two top-five teams, and all three involved Ohio State. The Buckeyes lost at Oregon and beat Penn State in Happy Valley. Now they get to play the host with upstart Indiana coming to Columbus.
The Buckeyes are the favorite to win the National Championship (+320) and the Big Ten (-105), but don’t count the Hoosiers out, who are third (behind OSU and Oregon) to end up as the No. 1 overall seed (+1100). And unlike Ohio State, IU can finish the regular season undefeated (+400).
While OSU has been tested, there has been an uproar regarding Indiana’s status as a CFP team. Who have the Hoosiers beaten? They have won one game over a team with a winning record (6-5 Washington) and had to hold on to beat the worst Michigan team since before Jim Harbaugh returned to Ann Arbor. They’ve also won their first nine games by at least 14 points. Both things are true. Is it who you play or how you play?
Statistically, these teams are pretty even, but no one outside of Bloomington believes that IU is equal to OSU. The recruiting rankings and NFL Draft scouting reports indicate a mismatch in favor of the Buckeyes. There’s probably no player on Indiana’s team that Ohio State wanted as a recruit or transfer.
This is the ultimate underdog versus overdog matchup. Are the Hoosiers a real B1G/CFP contender, or will the Buckeyes “expose” IU as a product of a soft schedule? Put down your phone—ignore the “brand bias” and strength of schedule debates on X (Formerly Twitter)—and tune into what might be the game of the year in the Big Ten.
Score: Ohio State 24, Indiana 16
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