Who will win? Experts make predictions for Ohio State vs. Indiana
The Ohio State football team travels to Bloomington, Indiana, Saturday night to face the struggling Hoosiers and are looking to stay unbeaten in Big Ten Conference play.
So far the Buckeyes have been Big Ten road warriors, playing two of their three conference games away from Columbus, and at 7:30 p.m., they add another one.
And this was supposed to be the toughest of the early road games. Indiana hasn’t met preseason expectations in 2021. The Hoosier were 6-2 in 2020 and ranked No. 17 in the AP preseason poll. They enter this week 2-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
So who wins?
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Here’s how the Columbus Dispatch staff and Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star think:
Bill Rabinowitz
Ohio State beat writer
The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State 45, Indiana 20
Ohio State hasn't lost to IU since 1988, but the Hoosiers have tested the Buckeyes in recent years. But with Indiana almost certainly to be without injured quarterback Michael Penix, it's hard to imagine the Hoosiers generating enough offense to hang in against the high-powered Buckeyes. Look for IU to try to confuse C.J. Stroud with various blitzes. If the protection holds up and Stroud avoids turnovers, the Buckeyes should breeze.
Joey Kaufman
Ohio State beat writer
The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State 42, Indiana 17
Unlike last season, this isn’t a meeting that will settle the Big Ten East. It likely isn’t a trap game for the Buckeyes, either, as they’ve had an extra week to prepare for Indiana. The intrigue of this matchup lies with whether Ohio State’s offense can keep humming and score at least 50 points for the fourth consecutive game. The Hoosiers have enough experience on defense to pose some issues and make that a difficult bar to clear.
Rob Oller
Sports columnist
The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State 46, Indiana 13
One of these two teams looks like a College Football Playoff contender. The other looks like a confused American trying to drive on the left side of the road in England. Guess which is which. (Hint: the contender isn't IU). Way back in the summer the Hoosiers were supposed to be good. It never happened. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, have found their groove on both sides of the ball. The only possible hiccup could come if OSU is caught looking ahead to Penn State next week. Even then, this is not an upset in the making.
Zach Osterman
Indiana beat writer
Indianapolis Star
Ohio State 41, Indiana 17
Indiana’s defense has been too good this season to just get walked over, especially if the secondary gets one or both of its corners back. And I guess the law of averages says at some point IU’s offense is going to score multiple touchdowns in a Big Ten game. But that offense has been too inconsistent and plagued by mistakes for me to see this being close by the end. Could see it competitive for a while before the Buckeyes pull away.