Ohio State vs. Indiana: 2026 game preview and prediction

Ohio State and Indiana meet on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington in what is not only a rematch of the 2025 Big Ten National Championship Game, the game is one of the most anticipated of college football’s regular season.

The Buckeyes and Hoosiers have won the last two national titles, and the winner of Saturday’s contest will be a serious threat to win this season’s title.

Last week Ohio State handled their business against Maryland, beating the Terrapins 45-16. The performance by the Buckeyes wasn’t the cleanest, but Ryan Day’s team was never threatened in the game, staying perfect all-time against Maryland.

The win was the 58th by the Buckeyes of 20 points or more since Day took over as head coach in 2019.

The game last week was Ryan Day’s 100th as head coach of the Buckeyes. The victory pushed Day’s coaching record to 87-13.

Day enters this week’s game with a 24-1 record all-time in October and a 8-1 mark against ranked teams in the month. The 29 road wins by Ohio State since 2019 are tied with Louisiana and Boise State for the most in the country.

History against Indiana

The last time Ohio State and Indiana met was in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game, with the Hoosiers squeaking out a 13-10 win over the Buckeyes in Indianapolis.

The victory snapped a 31-game winless streak for Indiana against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are now 30-1-1 against the Hoosiers in the last 32 games, and 80-13-5 against Indiana all-time.

Day will be coaching against Indiana for the seventh time, posting a 5-1 record in the first six meetings. Until December’s Big Ten Championship Game, Day’s Buckeyes had dominated the Hoosiers. Entering Saturday’s game, Ohio State has outscored Indiana 274-97 in the previous six meetings with Day as head coach.

Saturday’s game marks the first-ever matchup between top-five teams in the history of Memorial Stadium. Being ranked as a top-five team is something that isn’t unfamiliar to Day and the Buckeyes, as they have been ranked in the top-five in 88 of the 100 games he has coached so far, and Ohio State has been ranked in the top-10 in 99 of those games.

A dynamic duo powers the Buckeyes offense

Following two straight 200-yard effort, Jeremiah Smith wasn’t needed to do much last week against Maryland.

The junior wide receiver finished with four catches for 93 yards, finding the end zone twice against the Terrapins. While he didn’t reach 100 yards receiving last week, the next time Smith hits triple digits will be his 16th game of at least 100 yards, which will pass Marvin Harrison Jr. for most in school history.

On the season, Smith has 48 catches for 916 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns, putting him second in the nation in all three categories. Jesse Legree of Oregon State has one more receiving touchdown and 16 more yards, while Wake Forest’s Carlos Hernandez has 49 receptions.

Since arriving at Ohio State in 2024, Smith has 211 catches for 3,474 yards and 38 touchdowns, all of which are school records. Now Smith has his eyes on Big Ten records. With 315 more receiving yards and two more receiving touchdowns, Smith will set the conference career records.

Throwing to Smith is Julian Sayin, who tossed four touchdown passes last week. Sayin is the latest in a line of great Ohio State quarterbacks. Since 2019, Buckeye passers have thrown 274 touchdowns, which is first in the nation, bettering Alabama’s quarterbacks by 14 touchdown passes.

Through six games this season, Sayin has 1,772 yards passes, 17 touchdown passes, and just two interceptions.

Sayin currently sits 10th in career passing yards at Ohio State with 5,466 yards. It is possible Sayin could move past Mike Tomczak and Troy Smith on Saturday. Tomczak threw for 5,569 yards during his time in Columbus, while Smith had 5,720 yards as a Buckeye.

As a unit, Ohio State’s offense is averaging 42.7 points per game, which ranks seventh among FBS teams. The offense has put up 503.5 yards per game through the first six games, which is eighth-best in the FBS. The preferred method the Buckeyes have moved the football has been through the air, with their 337.8 passing yards per game ranking fourth in the country.

To compliment their throwing attack last week, Ohio State had one of their better games of the season running the football. Bo Jackson recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of the year, finishing with 107 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Ja’Kobi Jackson added 76 yards as the Buckeyes finished with 207 yards on the ground.

The sophomore running back leads the team with 460 yards on 89 carries, which is 106 yards more than Ja’Kobi Jackson has rushed for. While the younger Jackson leads the team in rushing yards, the Florida transfer has found the end zone six times, which is two more touchdowns than Bo Jackson has.

Unfortunately for Ohio State, Ja’Kobi Jackson has already been ruled out for this week’s game due to injury. The absence of the elder Jackson could pave the way for talented freshman Legend Bey to see more time on the field on Saturday.

The rushing effort last week was even more impressive when considering the offensive line had to shuffle some pieces when late Friday it was announced Austin Siereveld wouldn’t play due to a non-football illness. Gabe Van Sickle slid from guard to tackle to take Siereveld’s spot, while Jake Cook made his first career start. The line was also without Phillip Daniels for a fourth consecutive game.

Along with the offensive line dealing with some sidelined players, the wide receiving corps also was without two starters last week. Devin McCuin and Brandon Inniss both didn’t suit up because of injuries. Chris Henry Jr. was named starter opposite Jeremiah Smith at receiver.

With McCuin and Inniss not playing, tight ends Nate Roberts and Mason Williams each caught a touchdown against the Terrapins.

Silver Bullets are still firing

On the defensive side of the football, Ohio State is again one of the best in the country. Through six games the Buckeyes are yielding just 13.2 points per game, which is eighth-best in the country.

The group is giving up 246.5 yards per game, good for fifth-best, with 150.7 of those yards coming through the air, ranking eighth overall. Since Ryan Day took over as head coach, the Ohio State defense is averaging 15.1 points allowed in Big Ten games.

This week the Buckeye secondary is going to be tested by Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover and wide receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh.

Safety Jaylen McClain will be leading the way for the defensive backs. McClain has 28 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes broken up this season. Fellow safety Earl Little Jr. leads the team with 30 tackles in his first season with Ohio State after transferring from Florida State.

The wild card on Saturday will be cornerback Devin Sanchez. The sophomore has struggled at times this season, but is still a talented defensive back. If Sanchez can live up to the hype coming out of high school it will go a long way in slowing down the Indiana passing attack.

Jermaine Matthews Jr. and Cam Calhoun are likely to round out the starters in the secondary if Jay Timmons is unable to play for a third straight game.

Ohio State’s linebackers were also missing a starter last week, as Wisconsin transfer was unable to play against Maryland, leading to TJ Alford making his second career start. The other starter for the Buckeyes at linebacker is Payton Pierce, who is tied for the team lead with 30 tackles this year.

Riley Pettijohn is essentially a starter since he is on the field so much. The sophomore not only has 20 tackles, he has two sacks and an interception. When it comes to the linebackers, Pettijohn is the one with the highest upside because of his incredible athleticism.

With each week the defensive line of the Buckeyes has shown improvement. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. continues to be the star of the group with a team-leading three sacks. At the other defensive end spot, Alabama Qua Russaw continues to become more comfortable with his role, and it has shown in his performance.

On the interior of the defensive line, Eddrick Houston and UCF transfer John Walker have started each of the first six games for the Buckeyes. Jason Moore, Will Smith Jr., and James Smith have been a part of the rotation, helping to wear down the opposing offense line and create chaos in the middle of the line.

Where Indiana stands entering this week

Indiana was pushed to the limit last week by Nebraska, barely escaping Lincoln with a 20-17 win over the Cornhuskers. The victory extended the Hoosiers’ win streak to 22 games, which is the longest active streak in the country.

The win streak is the longest by a Big Ten team since Ohio State won 22 games between the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

With their win last week, Indiana became the first bowl-eligible team in the country for the second time in the last three seasons. The win also was their 33rd win over the last three seasons, which is the most in a three-year span in school history, and also the most in the FBS over the last three seasons.

Since taking over in Bloomington after the 2023 season, it’s obvious head coach Curt Cignetti has changed the culture at Indiana, as evidenced by the school winning a national championship last season. Saturday’s win over Nebraska was Cignetti’s 30th with the Hoosiers in just 32 games, which is tied for the second-fastest in FBS history. Only Larry Coker of Miami and Gil Dobie of Washington reached 30 wins faster, doing it in 31 games.

Another interesting tidbit from the win over Nebraska is the Hoosiers became the first team to extend a winning streak to 20 or more games when down by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter since Texas accomplished the feat against USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl, which was the BCS National Championship Game.

The victory was also the 22nd in a row by Indiana where they have given up 24 points or less.

Hoosier daddy

Taking over for Heisman Trophy winner and first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Fernando Mendoza, is Josh Hoover. The TCU didn’t take long to get comfortable behind center in offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan’s offense, entering this week with 1,364 yards passing, 17 touchdown passes, and no interceptions.

Hoover came to Bloomington with a wealth of experience, as he has now started 37 games in his college career. Entering his week, Hoover is one of just two FBS quarterbacks with at least 15 touchdown passes and no interceptions, with the other being Miami quarterback Darian Mensah.

Only two Indiana receivers have more than 10 catches this season, but they are two of the best receivers in the country. Charlie Becker leads the Hoosiers with 30 catches for 529 yards and eight touchdowns. At 6-foot-4, Becker’s big frame is an easy target for quarterbacks to find. Last year against the Buckeyes, Becker had six catches for 126 yards in the Big Ten Championship Game.

At the other receiver position is Nick Marsh, who is in his first year with the program after transferring from Michigan State. Marsh was massive in the fourth quarter against the Cornhuskers last week, recording a 75-yard touchdown and a 44-yard touchdown to complete the comeback for the Hoosiers. Marsh has 29 catches for 528 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Along with Becker and Marsh, there are two other receivers the Buckeyes will have to keep tabs on. Davion Chandler has been a threat near the end zone, with four of his nine catches on the season going for touchdowns. Shazz Preston is another receiver with nine receptions on the season. Preston caught 43 passes for Tulane last season.

To go along with a dangerous passing attack, Indiana can also run the football. Recently the Hoosiers had running backs go for at least 200 yards in back-to-back games. Lee Beebe Jr. ran for 203 yards against Northwestern, followed by Turbo Richard going for 204 yards against Rutgers, marking the first time since 2014 that Indiana had a running back reach at least 200 yards in back-to-back games when Tevin Coleman accomplished the feat.

With Nick Marsh scoring both of Indiana’s touchdowns last week, there was a recent rarity for the Hoosiers have had 28 multi-rushing touchdown games in the last 35 contests, including four in 2026. Turbo Richard has five rushing touchdowns on the year to go along with a team-leading 597 rushing yards, while Lee Beebe Jr. has 551 yards on the ground and four scores.

What’s scary is the running back group has the potential to get even better when Khobie Martin returns to the field. Martin hasn’t played since the first game of the season after rushing for 505 yards and six touchdowns in 2025 on just 78 carries.

A defense on an incredible run

Indiana’s defense is right there with the Buckeyes as one of the best units in the country. The Hoosiers have not allowed any of their opponents to score more than 24 points during their 22-game winning streak.

Where the Indiana defense really makes waves is when it comes to creating turnovers. The Hoosiers have now won the turnover battle in 30 straight games, which is the longest streak in the FBS since at least 1995.

The strong defensive play for the Hoosiers starts up front. The play of the defensive line is a huge reason why Indians has allowed less than 100 yards rushing 25 times since the start of the 2024 season, which is the most in the country during that span.

Defensive end Stephen Daley is the leader of the group. After suffering an ankle injury after celebrating Indiana’s win over Ohio State last year causing him to miss the College Football Playoff run, Daley is a beneficiary of a temporary restraining order when it comes to the proposed “”five-for-five” rule.

Since being lowed back in the field following Indiana’s third game of the season, Daley already has five sacks and two forced fumbles. The five sacks are tied with fellow defensive end Toni Osunsanmi for the team lead. Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino will start on the interior of the defensive line for the Hoosiers.

Normally Indiana plays with two linebackers on the field. While Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy are just two men, they are so active it feels like the Hoosiers have four linebackers out there.

Jones leads the team with 46 tackles so far this season and has picked off a pass after recording 78 tackles and seven sacks in 2025. While Hardy trails Jones with 41 tackles this year, the senior from Florida had the edge last year with 103 stops and eight sacks.

The part of Indiana’s defense that will be called on the most on Saturday is their secondary since they’ll be tasked with trying to keep the ball out of Jeremiah Smith’s hands. Jamari Sharpe and Jaylen Bell are the projected starters at cornerback.

Typically on the field are three other defensive backs. Amare Ferrell and Preston Zachman are the starters at safety while Byron Baldwin Jr. is more of a rover/nickelback. Zachman is third on the team with 34 tackles, followed by Baldwin and Ferrell, who have 27 tackles. Baldwin also has two sacks.

Prediction

This has all the makings of being another slugfest. The only difference is we are likely to see a little more offense than was shown in their matchup from December in Indianapolis. Julian Sayin might have a bit of an advantage because he has already seen what defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and head coach Curt Cignetti will try and throw at him.

The wide receiver battle is going to be fascinating on Saturday. Ohio State has Jeremiah Smith, who is not only a favorite to win the Heisman in December, he is also looking like one of the best receivers in college football history. Smith is going to need another Buckeye receiver to step up to take some of the attention away from him.

Indiana will counter with Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, who make massive catches when needed most. The Hoosiers also have a potent running attack, which will keep the Ohio State defense on their toes. If the Hoosiers can get both going then they can control the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of the Buckeyes.

In the end this Indiana team isn’t quite as invincible as they were last year, as evidenced by how Nebraska almost beat them last week. Ohio State will be playing with a chip on their shoulder and revenge on their minds on Saturday. The Buckeyes pull out a tight win with a possible rubber match looming in December in Indianapolis.

LGHL score prediction: 30-23, Ohio State