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After an unexpected week off after the canceled Maryland game, Ohio State is back in action at The Shoe this weekend.
In a match between two nationally-ranked top 10 teams, the No.3 Buckeyes will host No.9 Indiana at noon, while the Eleven warriors staff members share their final thoughts and predictions regarding the fight for first place in the Big Ten East.
Final thoughts
Can’t get close to the selection against Justin Fields
Technically this is a top 10 game. Indiana is a good team with a good quarterback and a group of returning starters on both sides of the ball led by a devil head coach to Tom Allen who makes it clear. believe in this team that they have the capacity to take down any enemy in college football. The gods put him in front. The victories over Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State and Rutgers support this point.
But there’s only one Justin Fields, and through three games no one has even come close to slowing him down, let alone stopping him completely. Because the Buckeyes want to overcome the bump and win a national championship, we in Ohio spend so much time dissecting every detail of this team. Sometimes it is not necessary. Sometimes a team has an unreal talent that makes these discussions seem trivial.
The Hoosiers are good. The Hoosiers have no fields. Unless he’s doing things he hasn’t done all season – flipping the ball, missing targets, and generally looking deadly – how could anyone choose against him?
– Colin Hass-Hill
This game could shape what we – and the CFP committee – think about the state of Ohio for more than three weeks
In reality, Ohio State won’t impress anyone by beating Illinois and Michigan State in its next two games. And given that Michigan is also 1-3, the rivalry game doesn’t stand out as a tough test for the Buckeyes either. As the college football playoff selection committee prepares to compile its first ranking of the season next week, the Buckeyes’ performance against Indiana on Saturday could weigh heavily on the quality of Ohio state for the rest of the regular season. .
Ohio State is likely in the playoffs if he wins, regardless of how he wins. But a convincing and dominant performance against the Hoosiers could certainly go a long way in convincing the CFP committee that the Buckeyes deserve one of the top spots in Tuesday’s initial standings.
– Dan Hope
Indiana are a good team, but the talent shortage is still huge
As Dan said in the Ohio State-Indiana preview, the Hoosiers are no joke. Their 4-0 start is backed by the best quarterback the Buckeyes will face in the regular season and a defense that has done a good job of forcing turnovers.
But as Dan and Colin both pointed out on Real Pod Wednesdaydays – available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for those of you who still need to subscribe and leave a five-star review – Ohio State is # 1. in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite and Indiana is a terribly low No. 13.
I’d be surprised if it didn’t show up this afternoon.
On another note, I’m curious as to whether the Ohio State’s week off will put him off pace or not and lead to a somewhat irregular start in the first quarter. I don’t think it will (see my prediction for this thought), but it’s still on the table.
– Zack Carpenter
It doesn’t look like a top 10 showdown
Nothing in this week made it seem like the state of Ohio was about to face a Top 10 opponent in the biggest regular season game of the year that essentially decides the Big Race. Ten East.
From the way fans feel about the game to the way coaches and players talk about the game to how the media covers the game – none of it sounds like a top 10 showdown.
I mean, even on the Ryan Day radio show, he was answering questions about his TV habits, the third string kicker, and how a challenging game works in college football before a game that could decide just about everything. of the Ohio State season.
It reminds me of when the state of Ohio welcomed Nebraska in 2016, and everyone on Earth knew that the Huskers were not in the same galaxy as the Buckeyes, even though they had a No.10 in next to their name.
Ohio State won the game 62-3. Let’s see how this one unfolds.
– Kevin Harrish
Questions
Will the Hoosier receiving corps be a strong enough test for Ohio State high school?
This will be the toughest group of passing catchers the Buckeyes face until the college football playoffs. So what will we see from the Buckeyes high school this afternoon when they guard the triumvirate of Ty Fryfogle, Whop Philyor and Peyton Hendershot?
It’s a good mid-season test for Shaun Wade, Sevyn Banks and Co. that could serve as a turning point as they prepare for a possible clash with Alabama or Clemson down the line.
– Zack Carpenter
Is Indiana the Real Deal?
For quite a while, you could always count on Michigan and Penn State to win nine or ten games and often fight against Ohio State. Not this year. These two teams have a combined record of 1-7.
Are Indiana really the team that will cause the Buckeyes the most problems? Given the huge talent shortage and Fields’ presence, the Hoosiers enter as a three-touchdown underdog on Saturday, with the public clearly showing a significant degree of disbelief in them. Tom Allen sure doesn’t care, but does it matter?
– Colin Hass-Hill
How will Ohio state pass protection withstand the Indiana pass rush?
The Ohio State offensive line, especially its inside offensive line, hasn’t quite lived up to the high expectations it entered the season with, and it could face its toughest test of the season. year to date against the Hoosiers. Ryan Day and Justin Fields both spoke this week about how Indiana has a defense that blitzes from all fields, so the Buckeyes’ pass protectors – including their tight ends and running backs. – must be prepared for this challenge.
Day said the Indiana Blitz is “a bit unique to the game plan” and “there really isn’t a lot of trending about it,” so the Buckeyes need to be prepared for anything. But given that left guard Harry Miller has been the weakest link in the offensive line so far, it stands to reason the Hoosiers could be looking to attack his shortcomings, and he’ll have to take on that challenge if they do. .
– Dan Hope
What is the state of Ohio going to do about running back?
I’m going to put myself on the same level as you guys – if the state of Ohio doesn’t sort out its issues in the racing game after what was essentially a week off early in the season, those issues just won’t be. not resolved and this team is what it is at this point.
That said, I’m curious to see how the Buckeyes try to throw the ball against the best running defense they’ll play all regular season. Will we see more jet sweeps? More quarterback races? Some Demario McCall? Time will tell us!
– Kevin Harrish
Prediction
Shaun Wade returns to playing as a first round pick
Wade’s first three games with the outside cornerback were a disappointment, as he was beaten by three touchdowns in Ohio State’s last two games, but he was a preseason All-American for a reason. . In a game where the Buckeyes need him to step up, after two full weeks of training to learn from his mistakes and continue to perfect his technique in his new position, I think Wade will win the war with the Indiana receivers on Saturday. and will begin to reestablish his It’s good to be Ohio State’s next first-round cornerback in the 2021 NFL Draft.
– Dan Hope
Ohio state easily covers the spread
I don’t think the Indiana defense really impresses the offensive staff in Ohio State, and I think Fields and Co. is going to open a clinic. I know predicting that Buckeye’s attack is good at football is about as simple as saying that Day is going to yell at an official, shrug his shoulders and put his hands up in exasperation at some point during the game. while arguing. a call. But here I am.
My score prediction is 49-17, giving the Buckeyes easy cover of that 20.5 point gap. I think they’ll take a four touchdown lead in the first half and they’re blouses from there.
– Zack Carpenter
Zach Harrison plays his best game of the season
The state of Ohio just hasn’t needed a ton of its advanced rushers so far this year. The three teams he’s played have two that bounced between the quarterbacks (Penn State and Nebraska) and one that started a quarterback who threw more interceptions than touchdowns (Rutgers).
The Buckeyes did well without Zach Harrison leaving. They’ll need more of their second defensive end on Saturday when Michael Penix Jr. comes into town, and I think we’ll see him set up his best game yet this fall.
– Colin Hass-Hill
Justin Fields throws more touchdowns than incomplete
The Indiana high school is possibly the best in Ohio state yet and is certainly the best in the conference for creating interceptions. It won’t matter. Justin Fields is going to split this high school just like he has every other so far this year. I’m not convinced there’s a defense in the country that you could throw at him to slow him down at this point.
– Kevin Harrish
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