Even though Indiana is ranked ninth and undefeated, there’s still a high amount of suspicion from the national media that they can topple No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday.

It appears the oddsmakers are of the same belief too.

Via CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, Indiana is a 20.5-point underdog for its road contest at Ohio State. Such a wide amount in a game featuring top 10 teams is rare. Dodd notes that there have only been 4 contests with a 20-point spread between top 10 teams dating back to 1978:

The most recent occurrence on that list is notably Ohio State’s win against Penn State last season. That turned out to be a hard-fought contest with the Nittany Lions unable to keep up late but still covering the big spread.

In 2020, Indiana is the lone team in the nation to be undefeated ATS, so while many think a victory is unlikely, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Hoosiers to at least cover.

Ohio State leads the all-time series 75-12-5 vs. Indiana and is currently on a 24-game winning streak against the Hoosiers.

Indiana’s defense brought its best showing of the season last week with a 24-0 shutout at Michigan State. That means Indiana is now tied for the national lead in shutouts (5) dating back to 2017.

If Indiana’s defense can somewhat slow down the vaunted Ohio State offense, the margin could be respectable and an upset would be more realistic.