Ohio State visits Indiana in Week 7. Get game details, kickoff info, spread analysis, and key players to watch in this Big Ten clash.

The No. 4-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Bloomington this Saturday at noon to face the No. 5-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in Week 7. The Buckeyes enter 5-1 overall with Big Ten wins over Illinois, at Iowa, and at Maryland. The Hoosiers enter the contest undefeated at 6-0, with conference wins over Northwestern, Rutgers, and Nebraska.

Ohio State used a strong offensive outing to beat a struggling Maryland team in Week 6, defeating the Terrapins 45-16. Indiana faced a much tougher test as it took on an undefeated Nebraska team, using late-game heroics to escape 20-17.

Ryan Day’s side has been strong in the passing game this season on both sides of the ball, while Curt Cignetti’s squad has leaned on the ground game on both sides. This is a rematch of the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis, where Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers squeaked out a low-scoring 13-10 win.

While both teams lost a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball in the game last December, nearly every prediction put them in the top three in the conference. With Oregon struggling, these appear to be the clear-cut top two teams in the conference, and both are expected to make the playoffs.

This game will go a long way for both teams as they look to put their stamp on the conference. This is the first of three tough consecutive games for Ohio State, while Indiana has tough contests of its own coming up. Let’s take a look at both teams’ wins from last week, some players to watch, and how this rematch will unfold.

Ohio State Dominates Maryland In Look Ahead Spot

This game was another look-ahead spot for the Buckeyes, with games against Indiana, USC, and Oregon ahead. The Buckeyes made a few early mistakes before the scarlet and gray eventually flexed their muscles. Ohio State and Maryland traded scores in the first and second quarters, which included touchdown catches by Jeremiah Smith (33 yards) and Nate Roberts (68 yards).

A Maryland field goal and a five-yard touchdown run by Malik Washington cut the Ohio State lead to 14-10 early in the second quarter. It was all scarlet and gray from there, as the Buckeyes outscored the Terrapins 31-6 the rest of the way with touchdowns by Jeremiah Smith, Mason Williams, and Bo Jackson twice.

Julian Sayin had an interesting game, completing only 13/21 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns; he threw a pick and lost a fumble, the offense’s only two turnovers. Jeremiah Smith was the only weapon with more than two catches, posting four receptions, 93 yards, and two scores, leading all receivers in each category. The tight ends haven’t seen many endzone targets, but Roberts’ second and Williams’ first scores of the year were a great sign.

Bo Jackson eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time this season and had his most rushing yards since the opener, toting the rock 23 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Ja’Kobi Jackson also continued his steady workload with 14 carries for 76 yards. Legend Bey finally got a handful of carries, finishing with four rushes for 13 yards. The rushing attack matched the passing attack in yards, with the offensive line opening holes and the team finishing at 4.3 yards per carry.

The defense looked stellar, and some of Maryland’s points came from good field position created by the Buckeye offense. Malik Washington had just 64 passing yards and 19 rushing yards, while the Terrapins offense managed only 82 yards and 2.9 yards per carry on the ground. Star wideout Chris Durr Jr. caught four passes for 15 yards, and the longest reception was only 12 yards.

In a game where the Silver Bullets defense didn’t force a turnover or earn a sack, there were still plenty of positives. Jaylen McClain is a captain and leader of the defense and had twice as many tackles (8) as any defender in this one. Tarvos Alford, Earl Little Jr., Payton Pierce, and Eddrick Houston (1.5 tackles for loss) all had four tackles. Qua Russaw (1 tfl) and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (.5 tfl) also got into the backfield.

Another notable area of improvement was special teams, with Legend Bey returning a kickoff for 29 yards and Max LeBlanc scooping one for 16 yards. Philip Bell returned four punts for 41 yards, including one for 31. Connor Hawkins hit his only field goal attempt from 40 yards out and made all six extra points. An expected win with lots of players seeing action, a few tweaks to make, and some promising signs.

Hoosiers Escape Lincoln With Hard-Fought Win

Like Ohio State and Maryland, Indiana and Nebraska traded scores all the way to the end before Indiana broke the trend to win. The teams traded field goals in the first quarter before Nebraska took the lead on a 10-yard touchdown run by Nyziah Hunter.

An Indiana field goal opened the second half, and Nebraska took a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter on a 39-yard run by Anthony Colandrea. With no touchdowns in the second and third quarters, Nebraska’s 17-6 lead started to look more dangerous.

Indiana picked the right time for their first two endzone trips, needing just one play to respond to the Colandrea score as Nick Marsh caught a 75-yard touchdown. He wasn’t done, capping a five-play, 80-yard drive with a 44-yard touchdown – his second in under five minutes of game time.

Indiana escaped 20-17 in a game where they didn’t see the ball much and therefore had far fewer offensive snaps. They threw the ball half as often, had barely half the rushing attempts, and had only half the time of possession.

Josh Hoover had a similar game to Julian Sayin with only 12 completions on 22 attempts; he did finish with 263 yards passing, 24 yards rushing, two passing touchdowns, and no turnovers, though. Nick Marsh proved he is one of the best in the country, finishing with six grabs for 187 yards and the only two touchdowns. Charlie Becker had three catches for 52 yards.

The ground game struggled in this one, with neither back getting going. Lee Beebe Jr. had 31 yards, Turbo Richard had 10 yards, and the team finished with just 65 yards and three yards per carry, with 16 of those coming on one run from Josh Hoover.

Nebraska’s offense moved the ball through the air, finishing with 25 completions and 263 passing yards. The ground game totaled 128 yards on 39 carries, for 3.3 yards per carry, and produced their only two scores.

The Hoosiers’ defense forced a fumble they didn’t recover, and their lone turnover came from an interception by Jamari Sharpe. They faced a lot of plays and had four players with eight or more tackles, led by Isaiah Jones (9), Amare Ferrell (9), Jamari Sharpe (8), and Rolijah Hardy (8). As a team, they had five sacks and eight tackles for loss, led by Stephen Daley with two sacks and two tackles for loss.

Top-Five Clash Could Be Game Of The Year

Ohio State’s offense ranks 4th in passing yards per game, 7th in points per game, and 8th in yards per game. Their defense is in the top eight in the same three categories. Indiana’s offense ranks 14th in points per game, 19th in rushing yards per game, and 20th in yards per game. Its defense ranks in the top 12 in the same three categories.

Essentially, Ohio State has the offense and passing attack to keep up with anyone, while Indiana relies more on the run game, although both teams have weapons in the opposite fields. Nebraska exploited the Hoosiers’ secondary, while Ohio State’s defense has few holes. Both offenses can move the ball and put points on the board, but chunk plays and turnovers will be huge in a game this close.

Indiana lacks in pass defense, but makes up for it with a stellar run defense. It will be tough for Ohio State to move the ball on the ground, so their receivers and quarterback will need to step up. On the flip side, Indiana has playmakers at different positions, and preventing chunk plays will keep Ohio State on schedule.

Many players from both teams remember how the conference championship game ended a season ago, and this one will have a similar big-game feel. Which quarterbacks can take advantage of open receivers? Which running backs can gain just enough on some tough runs? Which linebacker core can wreak havoc on the opposing offense? Plenty of questions remain, and we won’t have answers until Saturday afternoon.

Ohio State has the best player on the field at all times in Jeremiah Smith. In even matchups, it comes down to who makes the right play at the right time, and this duo deserves more faith than any other.

Although Ryan Day faltered late in what could have been a huge win at Texas, I think he will be better prepared this time, with the revenge factor in play. Jeremiah Smith will continue to score and prove he is one of the best to ever play the game, while Devin McCuin, Brandon Inniss, and Bo Jackson will show their worth and combine for two scores. The defense will force a big turnover at some point as Jaylen McClain and Eddrick Houston continue to elevate their units.

The spread opened even and is now Ohio State -3.5, with the moneyline at -180 for Ohio State and +150 for Indiana. The over/under point total opened at 48.5 and has ticked up to 50.5. I think both are pretty accurate, given the talent on both sides of the ball. I think Ohio State weathers an early storm and makes enough plays late to earn their biggest win of the year.

Prediction: Ohio State 27, Indiana 20