Game Day Skull Session: Get Dumped Then, Indiana

This ain't just a lazy October game against a middling Big Ten opponent, this is a damn revenge game.

Last season, the Buckeyes notched one of the most memorable wins in program history against Penn State in an emotionally exhausting comeback win before completely defecating the bed against an unranked Iowa a week later.

I'm here to assure you that ain't happening twice.

Ohio State is going to absolutely light Indiana ablaze this afternoon, and the only thing the Hoosiers have done to deserve it is draw a rather unfortunate slot in the schedule.

The Buckeyes have a talent advantage at every position, at multiple levels on the depth chart, and this time there will be no sleepwalking. This game was over as soon as Iowa took Ohio State to the woodshed last season.

The Hoosiers can thank the Hawkeyes for the disembowelment.

Word of the Day: Decimate.

 THAT 11W PREGAME FIX.

• Game Preview.
• Q&A With Indiana beat writer Zach Osterman.
• 10 Reasons to hate.
• Roundtable.
• Game Poster.
• Game Trailer.
• Our picks against the spread.
• Three keys to Ohio State's Victory.

 RUSHING THEIR FIELD. This week, my 24-year-old self learned that the Buckeyes once rushed the field – Indiana's field – after beating a Hoosiers team that went 1-7 in the Big Ten.

At first, I felt a tiny bit of embarrassment, but then it switched.

See, I'm of the camp that rushing the field is almost always extremely good anyway, but having enough fans at an away venue to rush an opponents' field and tear down their goalposts in celebration is straight up legendary.

From Tom Orr of TheOzone.Net:

The game was tied at 10 with under seven minutes to play. Indiana had the ball near midfield when OSU finally swung momentum.

Andy Katzenmoyer stripped the ball away from the Hoosiers’ quarterback. Matt Finkes grabbed it out of the air and raced down the sideline for the go-ahead score.

The Buckeyes ultimately pulled away for a 27-17 win.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock and Brent Musberger bellowed, “Hello, Rose Bowl” Buckeye fans stormed the field in Bloomington.

Seconds later, Musberger said, “Some of the Buckeye fans have even yanked the goal posts down to my right. They’ll carry it all the way back to High Street.”

I wish they would have carried them back to High Street in Columbus. That could have been the start of a fantastic Big Ten trophy game.

 OHIO STATE DEEP. In a shocking turn of events, Indiana head coach Tom Allen finds the team thats 48-3 under its current head coach to be soundly more talented than the rest of the conference, top to bottom.

Indiana coach Tom Allen said he believes there is a "pretty strong difference" between Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten in terms of the depth of the Buckeyes' roster.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) October 2, 2018

I wish someone could anonymously poll every Big Ten head coach and ask if they'd trade their starting lineup for Ohio State's second string at every position.

Seriously, how many programs would pass on that? Four? Maybe five?

 FIVE QUICK WINNERS. We went 3-2 last week, and I was absolutely right about Ohio State/Penn State. That brings my total to 11-14 on the season, which is not great, but still one perfect week away from a winning record. So let's get to it.

Syracuse -3.5 against Pitt

Again, this seems too good to be true, but I think I'm undefeated on picks I thought were traps, so I'm riding with this one too. I'm high on Syracuse. The Orange are 4-1 with a win over Florida State and a narrow loss to No. 3 Clemson last week. Meanwhile, Pitt has just two wins this season against Georgia Tech and Albany and is coming off back-to-back losses. I think Syracuse has looked good, particularly on defense, and I honestly think the Orange win this game by multiple touchdowns, despite being on the road.

LSU -2 against Florida

This isn't just blind loyalty to Joe Burrow, I straight up cannot believe this line is this close. I know Florida only has one loss this season to a team currently ranked in the top-15, but I think to some level the Gators have just backed their way into the top-25 and are hosting an LSU team that is legitimately good, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think this is a low scoring game, but I can't see LSU winning by less than a touchdown.

Florida State +14.5 against Miami

Miami is the better team here and is probably going to win, but I just don't see the Hurricanes winning by more than one touchdown, much less two. I think this game is going to be relatively low scoring, and if I'm going to be gifted with 14.5 points in a low scoring affair, I'm going to take it. This is rivalry game and I sincerely believe Florida State is much more talented than they've played this season and is desperate for a win while Miami is worse than it's looked. I think at the very least, this game is close until the end.

Air Force vs. Navy Under 49 Total Points

There's honestly not much thought behind this one aside from the fact that this is the obvious pick. Both offenses are relatively inefficient and it will be windy, making throwing the ball even more difficult than it usually is for triple option teams. I don't think there will be enough possessions in this game for the teams to combine for over 49 points.

Ohio State -27 against Indiana

After a gutty, emotional road comeback road win over Penn State last week, this seems like the perfect opportunity for a hangover game. But after what happened last season in Iowa City, it ain't happening. Ohio State is going to roll in this game, at least in part due to what happened last year. I don't think this one is even within 27 points at halftime.

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