Ohio State has spent the majority of its games against the Indiana Hoosiers as overwhelming favorites, but with the recent hire of Curt Cignetti, things have been considerably different.
No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 5 Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, where the two teams will meet for the 100th time. The Buckeyes lead the series 81-13-5, but the Hoosiers have had the last laugh, which is a reminder that the overall history matters very little compared to this iteration of the Indiana program.
The teams first met in 1901, with Indiana earning the victory, but since then, Ohio State has been the dominant team in the series. The Hoosiers have had their moments, however, including a 31-10 victory in Columbus in 1987 and then a 41-7 victory in Bloomington in 1988.
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The hire of Cignetti, however, has changed the dynamics of the Big Ten Conference dramatically. In his debut season in 2024, Indiana finished 11-2 and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time. And last season, the Hoosiers beat Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game to secure their first conference title since 1967. They went on to a 16-0 record and won the program's first national championship.
The Hoosiers enter Saturday's game with a record of 6-0 and the winner of 22 straight games. Ohio State will have to look at the matchup no longer as another preparation game in the middle of the season but one that can greatly impact their chances of returning to the CFP National Championship game.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State-Indiana history: Cignetti gives lopsided series a new look