Game Prediction: No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Indiana Hoosiers

The Buckeyes come out of the bye week ready for a monster second half of the season.

Author:
Brendan Gulick
Oct 22, 2021 2:46 PM EDT

No team in Big Ten history has ever racked up more consecutive wins against an opponent than the Buckeyes have against Indiana. Ohio State has beaten the Hoosiers 26 consecutive times, dating back more than three decades.

That said, last year's Hoosiers gave Ohio State a bigger scare than any other Big Ten team in the Ryan Day era. The Buckeyes cruised to a big halftime lead before hanging on for a seven point win.

Here's what our BuckeyesNow staff is expecting on Saturday evening:

OHIO STATE at INDIANA – Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Spread: Ohio State (-21.0)
O/U Total: 59.5

Brendan Gulick: Ohio State 49, Indiana 20

The Ohio State Buckeyes have the best offense in the country through the first half of the season. They lead the nation in scoring, in yards per game and yards per play. As this group has gotten better and better the last month, they had last weekend to get healthy and prepare themselves for a more challenging schedule during the second half of the season.

Indiana is a good team who's record doesn't give appropriate context to their season. They've lost four games to top 11 teams in the country and they have been seriously hampered by injuries. Their defense has some fast and physical athletes and they blitzed the Buckeyes like crazy last year. I think Ohio State will be prepared for the mayhem that Tom Allen's team will bring and I expect the Buckeyes to cover the 3-touchdown spread.

Andrew Lind: Ohio State 56, Indiana 20

Ohio State’s players and coaches have talked a lot this week about how much last year’s seven-point win over Indiana stuck with them, and I think those lessons will prevent the Buckeyes from letting the Hoosiers back in this one once they jump out to a big lead.

Now, there’s no denying Indiana’s record is not reflective of how good the Hoosiers truly are, with all four losses coming to teams currently ranked in the top 11 of the AP Poll. But without Michael Penix, they’ll have a hard time scoring enough points to keep up with Ohio State.

Game Preview: Ohio State Looking For 27th Straight Win Over Indiana

Caleb Spinner: Ohio State 45, Indiana 17

I cannot foresee a scenario in which Ohio State doesn’t win this game in a definitive fashion. Indiana has been down on their luck and now with the status of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in doubt each week, it doesn’t look good for the Hoosiers.

Meanwhile the Buckeyes have been on a tear since returning home from Rutgers. Ohio State has looked like an entirely-different team against the Scarlet Knights and then the next week against Maryland. With Ohio State playing as they have been, and Indiana struggling against top-10 opponents (which Ohio State is), I’m going with the Buckeyes to win by a landslide.

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