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Ohio State vs. Indiana: Prediction and preview
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Ohio State vs. Indiana comes to the Week 11 college football schedule with FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff in Columbus for the showdown. That game will get a 12 p.m. ET kickoff between the two sides.
Ohio State vs. Indiana preview
Despite the ongoing 6-game losing streak for Indiana, expect a lot of attention in this matchup to be on Ohio State. While the Buckeyes are undefeated and remain No. 2 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, Ryan Day’s squad is coming off of a particularly lackluster showing against Northwestern.
Obviously, the weather impacted that game with rather blustery and extreme conditions in Evanston over the weekend. However, Ohio State will likely be determined to show definitive proof it was the weather holding down the offense and not any other struggles on that side of the ball.
When it comes to weather, the forecast for Columbus is optimistic this weekend, with the Weather Channel’s early forecast predicting a high of 42 degrees. While the day is likely to begin with overcast skies, there is not expected to be rain or overly heavy winds involved.
A clear forecast and a seriously motivated Ohio State offense could spell disaster. For Indiana, that is. The Hoosiers are already heavy underdogs in this one and the raw numbers produced by Indiana’s defense are not good, to say the least.
The Hoosiers are giving up 32.2 points per game this season and most recently surrendered 45 points in a lopsided loss to Penn State. Indiana is also allowing opposing QBs to complete 64.3% of passes for an average of 264.4 passing yards per game.
That presents Week 11 as a prime bounce-back opportunity for CJ Stroud after a low output without a touchdown in the Week 10 win over Northwestern. Even with his struggles, Stroud remains a heavy favorite for the Heisman with Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker struggling in a loss to Georgia.
Offensively, there is not much that Indiana can throw at the Buckeyes and new DC Jim Knowles. The Hoosiers are averaging just 78.7 yards on the ground with 2.6 yards per carry this season and are completing right at 55% of passes this season.
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Even with Connor Bazelak hopefully returning to the starting lineup, Indiana is likely to be outmatched and overpowered, particularly playing in the Horseshoe for this one.
Ohio State vs. Indiana prediction
If Ohio State needed a wake-up call, the Buckeyes got it, even if near-hurricane-like conditions were the cause. The good news for the Buckeyes is it came in a win. The bad news for Indiana is Ryan Day will look to make a statement as a result in Week 11.
Prediction: Ohio State 56, Indiana 13
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.