College football season is rapidly approaching, with fall camp underway. We’re going through Indiana’s schedule to look ahead at all 12 opponents for 2026.
-
- Opponent: Ohio State
- Date/Time/TV: Saturday, October 17, TBD
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
- 2025 record/postseason result: 12-2, 9-0 Big Ten (13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, 24-14 loss to Miami (Fla.) in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl)
- Overall returning production: 60 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (31st in the country, ninth in the Big Ten)
Returning production, offense: 71 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (eighth in the country)
Offensive outlook: Ohio State will have its third offensive coordinator in three seasons in 2026, as head coach Ryan Day brought in Arthur Smith to replace the departed Brian Hartline. Smith spent the last two years as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator, and this will be his first collegiate job since he interned for Ole Miss in 2010. Under Smith, the Steelers ranked 25th in the NFL in total offense last year, though Pittsburgh still won the AFC North.
He’ll have plenty of personnel to work with in Columbus. The Buckeyes have arguably the best player in college football returning in junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who finished fourth in the nation with 1,243 receiving yards last year on 87 receptions with 12 touchdowns. He’ll line up up alongside former four-star recruit Brandon Inniss (36 receptions, 271 yards, three touchdowns) and five-star true freshman Chris Henry Jr. UTSA transfer Devin McCuin (65 receptions, 726 yards, eight touchdowns) could also step into a big role.
Quarterback Julian Sayin is also back for 2026 after a breakout 2025 campaign. He earned a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist, and some of his numbers actually outpaced those of IU’s Fernando Mendoza, who took home the award. Sayin threw for 3,610 yards while completing a remarkable 77 percent of his pass attempts — the top completion percentage in FBS last year. He threw 32 touchdown passes with eight interceptions. He’s one of the top returning quarterbacks in the country.
Ohio State has eight starters in total returning on offense from last year. Along with Sayin, Smith, and Inniss, running back Bo Jackson is back and looking to build on a strong true freshman year (179 carries, 1,090 yards, six touchdowns; 19 receptions, 200 yards, one touchdown). CJ Donaldson, who scored 10 touchdowns with much less yardage, is gone, and OSU will turn to sophomore Isaiah West and redshirt senior Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson behind Bo Jackson.
The Buckeyes return three All-Big Ten offensive line starters in Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery, and Carson Hinzman. Some positioning up front appears to remain unsettled, though. OSU excelled in run blocking last year, with the eighth-best PFF grade in the country. But the pass blocking lagged behind, ranking No. 48 in the nation — a weakness Indiana exposed in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Returning production, defense: 50 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (78th in the country)
Defensive outlook: Ohio State had one of the best defenses in the country last year. The Buckeyes led FBS in total by giving up only 219.1 yards per game — significantly ahead of No. 2 Toledo with 254.3. They also finished first in pass defense, though their rush defense ranked a meager seventh.
But much of that group is gone. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has only three returning defensive starters, though still good players. Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. posted 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and two QB hurries last year. Cornerback Jermaine Matthews Jr. (two interceptions, three PBUs, one forced fumble) and safety Jaylen McClain (three PBUs) both earned All-Big Ten selections.
The Buckeyes added some crucial pieces in the portal to fill in gaps. Watch for Alabama transfer defensive tackle James Smith (6.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, one PBU, two hurries) up front. Wisconsin transfer linebacker Christian Alliegro (eight TFLs, four sacks, one PBU) will have big shoes to fill in following Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles. Duke transfer safety Terry Moore missed all of 2025 with an injury, but he picked off four passes in 2024 and chipped in seven TFLs, six PBUs, and two forced fumbles.
Special teams outlook: Ohio State is replacing kicker Jayden Fielding with Baylor transfer Connor Hawkins, who went 18 for 22 on field goals and 37 for 37 on extra points last year. Punter Joe McGuire — not the Texas Tech coach — returns. He was used very sparingly in many contests last season, and with the way OSU’s offense looks, it could be more of the same in 2026. Inniss should be on return duties; he finished fourth in the Big Ten with 10.7 yards per punt return last year.
Overall Outlook: This is the game circled on both IU and Ohio State calendars this fall. The Hoosiers will be looking to make it two in a row over OSU, this time in front of their home crowd. The Buckeyes will look for revenge for last season’s Big Ten Championship Game. Separately from that, this will be IU’s toughest opponent during the regular season. If Indiana wins this game, fans may start dreaming of a return to Indianapolis and a third straight College Football Playoff appearance. But this could easily turn into Curt Cignetti’s first loss since December 2024 at Notre Dame.
Previous Outlooks:
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
-
- Find us on Instagram, X, and Facebook
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
