No. 5 Indiana football has never hosted a top-five matchup at Memorial Stadium. That will change at noon Saturday, when the Hoosiers welcome No. 4 Ohio State to Bloomington.
Being the losingest program in college football history prior to head coach Curt Cignetti’s 2024 arrival, Indiana hasn’t hosted many marquee matchups. Perhaps the biggest football game held in Bloomington came in 1967 when Indiana defeated Purdue to earn a share of the Big Ten Championship and a Rose Bowl Game berth.
Now, nearly 60 years later, undefeated Indiana owns an opportunity to defeat the No. 4 team in the country in front of its home crowd.
"Yeah, it means everything to us,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Carter Smith said Tuesday. “We pour our hearts and souls into this, and we want to give the town something that's special to remember.”
Indiana returns to Bloomington after two consecutive road games. The Hoosiers dominated Rutgers 47-15 on Oct. 3 and overcame an 11-point deficit to notch a 20-17 victory over Nebraska on Oct. 10.
“But, you know, it's behind us now and total focus on prep,” Cignetti said during a press conference Monday.
Here’s what to know about Indiana’s Week 7 contest against Ohio State:
Big Ten Championship rematch
Indiana last faced Ohio State in the 2025 Big Ten title game. With a 13-10 victory, the Hoosiers secured the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes return much of their offensive core from last year’s matchup. Junior quarterback Julian Sayin is back for his second full season as Ohio State’s starter.
Since taking over the starting role at Ohio State, Sayin has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country. He led the nation with a 77% completion rate in 2025 and completed 21 of 29 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown in the Big Ten Championship.
Sayin enters Saturday ranked fourth in the country with 1,772 passing yards, while his 17 passing touchdowns ties for third.
Ohio State also has continuity among its coaching staff. Head coach Ryan Day is in his eighth year at the helm, winning a national championship in 2024. Matt Patricia returned as the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator after leading them to the No. 1 ranked defense through the 2025 regular season.
“Extremely well coached,” Cignetti said about the Buckeyes. “Ryan Day does a good job. Both coordinators, all the position coaches, I mean, they're really, really good.”
The Buckeyes did see an offseason change at offensive coordinator, with former NFL head coach Arthur Smith taking over play calling duties. Still, Cignetti and his team see more similarities than differences between this year’s Buckeyes and last season’s team.
"Yeah, we watched a little bit this past week,” Smith said. “A lot of carryover from players last year, and they do run a little bit of the same stuff as they did last year.”
However, Day emphasized that last season’s result would have little bearing over Saturday’s rematch.
“But no, I don’t think anything that happened last year has anything to do with what is going on this year,” Day said during a press conference Tuesday. “This is a new team. All that matters is how we play on Saturday.”
A “wow player”
One constant within the Buckeyes’ offense is junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. In last year’s Big Ten Championship, Smith compiled eight receptions for 144 receiving yards. The only word Cignetti could use to describe him? “Wow.”
“Not only do they have a lot of excellent players; they have a ‘wow player,’” Cignetti said.
Cignetti believes Smith has improved since the two programs last played.
“He's taken it up a notch without question,” Cignetti said. “I think he has nine touchdown catches in the last three, four games. You know, there is no one like him right now playing at this level.”
Smith has strung together another Heisman Trophy-worthy campaign this season. Through six games, he ranks second in the nation with 916 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns through the air. Smith has surpassed 200 yards receiving in two of his last three appearances.
Indiana has struggled at times against the pass, surrendering 188.3 air yards per contest, which ranks seventh most in the Big Ten. With Sayin throwing to Smith, the Hoosiers’ secondary will have to step up against the Buckeyes.
Biggest test yet for Indiana’s offense
In addition to an efficient offense, Ohio State owns one of the most dominant defenses in the country. The Buckeyes allow a nation-low 4 yards per play and surrender 246.8 yards per game — the fourth-lowest mark among Division I programs.
Junior safety Jaylen McClain anchors a Buckeyes secondary that holds the lowest opponent passing efficiency in the nation. McClain has secured two interceptions through six games, while contributing 28 tackles.
Meanwhile, Indiana enters Saturday ranking second in the country in passing efficiency, while riding a 22-game win streak. Cignetti has yet to lose at home as the Hoosiers’ head coach. But Indiana has not hosted a matchup like this through two and a half seasons under Cignetti — or in its history.
“Top-five matchups are never going to be easy, and like I said before, it's going to be a four-quarter game, and that's something that we need to really lock into this week, that we're going to be ready for the fight,” Carter Smith said. “We know our opponent."
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
