With Ohio State’s Win Over Indiana, It’s Officially “That Team Up North” Week

Ohio State has moved on from its first 11 opponents in the 2024 regular season. Now, it can focus on the one that matters most: That Team Up North.

It's been 1,820 days since the Buckeyes defeated TTUN – a 56-27 beatdown in 2019 as Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins combined for eight touchdowns in Ann Arbor. In 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak within the TTUN program caused The Game to be canceled. In the past three seasons, Ohio State suffered losses of 42-27, 45-23 and 30-24, though some believe TTUN's sign-stealing scheme impacted at least two of those results.

The NCAA issued its Notice of Allegations to TTUN concerning its sign-stealing operation on Aug. 25. The school's 90-day window to respond to those allegations expires at 11:59 p.m. Saturday. 

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the NOA indicated that TTUN head coach Sherrone Moore and former TTUN staffers Jim Harbaugh, Chris Partridge, Denard Robinson and Connor Stalions – the architect of TTUN's impermissible in-person scouting operation – were all accused of committing Level I violations. Former TTUN assistants Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale were also accused of recruiting violations unrelated to Stalions.

With those punishments looming, TTUN fell off in 2024 after an undefeated national championship season in 2023. Following its matchup with Northwestern on Saturday, TTUN will either be 6-5 or 5-6 after 11 games. Its current wins are over Fresno State, Arkansas State, USC, Minnesota and Michigan State, while its losses are to Texas, Washington, Illinois, Oregon and Indiana.

The 2024 meeting will be the 120th between Ohio State and TTUN in a rivalry that dates back to 1897. It's the most bitter rivalry in all of sports. It's the greatest rivalry in all of sports. It's all on the line.

Ohio State vs. TTUN.

It's time for war.