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No.3 Ohio State hosts No.9 Indiana on Saturday in a Top 10 showdown that will have ramifications for the Big Ten East title. Seriously, that’s what’s happening this weekend. As it turns out, despite all the expectations and assumptions about the Big Ten in 2020, neither Michigan nor Penn State are the biggest threats to Ohio State’s Big Ten dominance. The Buckeyes have already eliminated the Nittany Lions. The same Penn State team that Indiana turned upside down in Game 1 of the season and sent them on an unexpected trip to the top 10 of the two main polls.
In a year that has thrown a lot of curves in our path, Indiana being a top 10 team is definitely one of them.
Indiana proved that victory over Penn State was no accident as it followed it with victories over Rutgers, Michigan and Michigan State. Now the Hoosiers are looking to overthrow another Big Ten powerhouse.
Will the 2020 season get even weirder this weekend, or will the state of Ohio restore some order to the Big Ten landscape?
Storylines
Ohio State: After Ohio State beat Penn State and Michigan lost to the same Indiana team that the Buckeyes play this week, I developed the feeling that the biggest threat to the season in the ‘Ohio State in 2020 would be the coronavirus. As long as the Buckeyes avoided a breakout within the squad, they looked likely to waltz towards a Big Ten title. Well, the last week was a reminder of that reality. The Ohio state game against Maryland was called off due to COVID concerns on the Terps roster, and the state of Ohio had to sit down for a weekend. On the bright side, it gave the Buckeyes an extra week to prepare for an Indiana team that appears to be their toughest test ahead of a possible Big Ten Championship game. It is also a reminder that – with the other games canceled or postponed these days – nothing is guaranteed to anyone during the 2020 college football season.
Indiana: A few weeks ago, when Indiana beat Michigan, it wasn’t the way they did it, it was remarkable; it was that Indiana had done it at all. It was the first time the Hoosiers have beaten the Wolverines in a football game since 1987. Can lightning strike twice? The last time Indiana beat Ohio State in football was in 1988. It was 25 years for the Buckeyes in this series. While the Hoosiers have proven themselves in big games against Penn State and Michigan, we can’t ignore that these two teams are currently a 1-7 combined. The state of Ohio will be by far the most difficult test.
Information display
Dated: Saturday November 21 | Time: Noon AND
Location: Ohio Stadium – Columbus, Ohio
TV: FOX | Direct: fuboTV (Try for free)
Ohio State prediction vs. Indiana, pick
Last Chances:
Buckeyes -21
What strikes me about Indiana’s incredible start is that much of what pushed this team forward in 2020 is not sustainable. In four games, 37.8% of Indiana’s offensive points have come from turnovers. It is the second highest rate in the country, behind Purdue. The national average is around 16.8%. Indiana’s average touchdown distance, thanks to the turnovers she forced, was 53.2 yards. The only team in the country with a shorter average is Washington, and Washington has played a game. The Hoosiers forced 12 turnovers in their first four games and all took advantage. That probably won’t happen against a team from Ohio State that did a much better job taking care of the ball. The Indiana offense hasn’t shown a talent for organizing 75-yard touchdowns, as it will likely have to do against Ohio State on Saturday. It makes it really hard for me to trust the Hoosiers to hang on to an Ohio State team that beat them 51-10 at Bloomington last season. Pick: Ohio State (-20.5)
What college football picks can you confidently make in week 12? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread – all from a proven computer model that has grossed nearly $ 3,900 in profits over the past four seasons and more – and find out.
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