The Hoosiers have arrived in Columbus for a top-five showdown nobody expected months ago.
While expectations for Ohio State will always remain sky-high, no one at the outset of the college football season could have guessed it would be Indiana to enter as the undefeated side ahead of the sport's biggest showdown one Saturday before rivalry week.
Rise and shine, Buckeye nation. The third top-five matchup of the season for OSU football has finally arrived.
YOU KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS pic.twitter.com/wf14CShY3I
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 23, 2024
As Ryan Day and company prepare to take the field with the objective of handing Curt Cignetti his first loss as head coach of the Hoosiers, discover below what the Ohio State football connoisseurs at Eleven Warriors anticipate will happen in today's pivotal showdown at the Horseshoe.
Score Predictions
Andy Anders — Ohio State 34, Indiana 24: Indiana is legit. The matchup of the Hoosiers’ weapons against Ohio State’s cornerbacks has my curiosity. How the Buckeyes’ offensive line performs against a ferocious defensive front has my attention. But in the end, I think OSU simply has the better players, and better players win football games.
Chase Brown — Ohio State 34, Indiana 20: Ohio State has 29 consecutive wins over Indiana, including the vacated win from 2010. The Hoosiers have never been a threat to the Buckeyes in my lifetime. They are now. They deserve Ohio State's respect — and mine, too — but the Buckeyes will still come out on top by two touchdowns on Saturday.
George Eisner — Ohio State 31, Indiana 17: I submitted my prediction prior to Seth McLaughlin's injury earlier this week, but waffled between settling on 35 or 31 points for the Buckeyes. I feel a bit better on the shallower point total in wake of the news, but I don't expect the setback to fully compromise Ohio State's paths to victory. Indiana has just one win over an opponent with a winning record as of today, and I expect a better-tested OSU squad on both sides of the ball to pull ahead for good in the second half.
Jack Emerson — Ohio State 24, Indiana 21: Ohio State's offensive line undergoes some growing pains after Seth McLaughlin's unfortunate injury, but the Buckeye defense wrangles IU's potent offense just enough to give OSU its second top-five win of the season.
Johnny Ginter — Ohio State 31, Indiana 21: The Buckeye receivers make their presence felt and the OSU defensive line controls the line of scrimmage. Dubcast knows ball!
Matt Gutridge — Ohio State 27, Indiana 14: This will be the ninth time for Ohio State to host a game in which the Buckeyes and the opponent are both ranked in the AP top five. Ohio State is 7-1 in this scenario and will win its 29th straight game against Indiana — 30th if you count the win in 2010, which you should.
Garrick Hodge — Ohio State 34, Indiana 20: Indiana is a deserving top 12 team in the country this year, but on this stage and in this environment, you feel the moment might be a little too big for the Hoosiers.
Dan Hope — Ohio State 31, Indiana 24: Curt Cignetti’s squad will come to Columbus believing it can win and ready to fight for 60 minutes, but Ohio State’s talent advantage will prevail in the end as the Buckeyes battle to a close win.
Kyle Jones — Ohio State 31, Indiana 17: The Buckeyes methodically move the football due largely to their advantage at wide receiver, but win the game with their defensive line, keeping Rourke off balance and stifling the run game.
Chris Lauderback — Ohio State 31, Indiana 20: Will Howard plays a turnover-free game and Ohio State wins the red zone on both sides of the ball to emerge victorious over a confident Hoosiers squad.
Ramzy Nasrallah — Ohio State 42, Indiana 21: Hoosiers' aggression will pay off with downfield back-shoulder throws and the visitors will win the margins, especially on Special Teams. But the cost of that aggression will be extending the game instead of shortening it, which means more opportunities for the Ohio State offense than we've seen recently. The Buckeyes are not losing a scoring contest in their own building.
Josh Poloha — Ohio State 27, Indiana 20: The Buckeyes’ playmakers prove to be too much for the Hoosiers and OSU gets another top-five win.
Jason Priestas — Ohio State 34, Indiana 17: Ohio State shows off their depth and takes a big steps towards Indianapolis with a convincing win against a very good Indiana team.
Jordan Raines — Ohio State 31, Indiana 17: Ohio State overcomes another shuffle on the offensive line and wins by two scores.
Will Ohio State Cover?
Ohio State heads into the early afternoon as 10.5-point favorites after opening a point lower but ballooning out to as far as 13.5 at some books over the course of the week. Among the staff at Eleven Warriors, nine believe the Buckeyes will cover, while five expect OSU to fail to do so for the sixth time this season.
Ramzy Nasrallah expects the greatest margin of victory between the teams with Ohio State doubling-up Indiana by 21 points. Jack Emerson has the Buckeyes prevailing over the Hoosiers by only a field goal, which makes his prediction the narrowest win for OSU among all employees.
What About the Over/Under?
The game's total points projection released with a line of 54.5 before a slight decrease to 52.5 points ahead of close. Eight staff members expect the under to take shape, while six believe Ohio State will see just its third over of the 2024 season.
Matt Gutridge has the shallowest tally among the sides at just 45 points. Nasrallah's lofty projection forecasts 63 points between the schools and serves as the only prediction that has the Buckeyes breaking 40 today.
Eleven Warriors Prop Bets
Wondering what the betting markets anticipate for individual performances in this top-five showdown? Consider a few of our in-house prop betting lines for today's game and get a more detailed perspective on expectations from the sportsbooks. Leave your predictions for us in the comments and compete for bragging rights!
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How many passing yards will Will Howard have?
- Over 264.5 (+100)
- Under 264.5 (-125)
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How many passing touchdowns will the Ohio State defense allow to Kurtis Rourke?
- Two or more (+149)
- One or less (-200)
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Will Jeremiah Smith score at least two touchdowns?
- Yes (+380)
- No (-490)
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Will the Ohio State defense score a touchdown?
- Yes (+390)
- No (-500)
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Does Will Howard Score a Rushing or Receiving Touchdown?
- Yes (+150)
- No (-150)
