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ESPN’s Tim Tebow on Indiana’s chances at Ohio State: ‘It’s still a longshot’
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
The national media continues to overwhelmingly side with No. 3 Ohio State in its matchup against visiting No. 9 Indiana.
ESPN’s Mark Sanchez went on record Friday morning to relay that he is expecting a blowout in favor of Ohio State. While ESPN’s Tim Tebow admires the season Indiana has had, he too believes Ohio State will be too much for the Hoosiers to handle.
Tebow shared his commentary for the game During Friday’s airing of First Take. Tebow began with praise for the way Indiana has revived its football program:
“Tom Allen is doing a great job with this program. They’re playing hard, they’re playing with fundamentals, they’re playing with heart, and they have a quarterback. That’s a good combination,” Tebow said. “Michael Penix Jr., their QB, he’s from Florida, but this kid is a really good player and he’s giving them a chance.”
Indiana is coming off a 24-0 shutout at Michigan State and has notched two victories against ranked opponents this season: against then-No. 8 Penn State in Week 1 and vs. then-No. 23 Michigan in Week 3.
Since then, both teams have significantly fallen off, taking the luster off those victories for Indiana:
“But Ohio State is not Michigan State, Ohio State is not Penn State, they’re not Michigan, they’re not even in the same ballpark,” explained Tebow. “While I want to give Indiana credit, you’re going up against a different animal in Ohio State. And while there’s a shot because this is a spread passing attack with a good QB, it’s still a longshot because they cannot match up man-to-man with Ohio State’s athletes, and Justin Fields is a superior athlete to almost anybody on Indiana’s defense…Ohio State is the creme de la creme in college football, and you’re going to have to take another level to knock them off.”
Ohio State leads the all-time series 75-12-5 vs. Indiana and is currently on a 24-game winning streak against the Hoosiers.
Saturday’s contest will be one of the rare top-10 showdowns with a 20-point spread dating back to 1978. Indiana is a 20.5-point underdog entering Week 5.
Saturday’s kickoff is set for 12 p.m. EST and the game will be televised on FOX.
Rolando Rosa brings his experience covering college football to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @RolandoRosa3.