Know Your Opponent: Ohio State Buckeyes

December 2, 2025

Head Coach: Ryan Day

Overall: 82-10 (54-5 in Big Ten)

Bowl Appearances at Ohio State: 6

2025 Record: 12-0

Mascot: Brutus Buckeye

Colors: Scarlet and Gray

Outfitter: Nike

National Titles: 9 including 2024

Conference Titles: 39 including 11 since 2000

Heisman Winners: Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Howard Cassady, Archie Griffin (twice), Eddie George, Troy Smith

Last Week: 27-9 win at Michigan

Betting Information

IU (+5.5) vs. Ohio State | Total of 48.5

Ohio State Statistical Leaders

Passing: Julian Sayin – 258 of 327 (78.9%) for 3,065 yards with 30 TDs and 5 INTs

Rushing: Bo Jackson – 151 rushes for 952 yards with 5 TDs

Receiving: Jeremiah Smith – 72 receptions for 942 yards (13.08) with 11 TDs

Tackles: Sonny Styles – 68 tackles including 38 solo

Stat of the Week: After the opening week 14-7 win over Texas, the Ohio State Buckeyes have won all 11 games by at least 18 points. No team has scored more than 16 points against the Buckeyes.

Buckeyes’ Talking Points

1. Weapons Galore

There were two big questions surrounding the Ohio State Buckeyes entering the 2025 season: how would new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia deal with a lot of personnel losses to the NFL as he leads the Silver Bullets defense was one (more on that below). The second: who is the answer for the Buckeyes at quarterback? After a prolonged quarterback battle, Ryan Day chose freshman Julian Sayin over junior Lincoln Kienholz. It is fair to say that Julian Sayin has surpassed even the most optimistic of expectations.

Sayin joins Fernando Mendoza as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate and he has completed nearly 80 percent of his pass attempts on 9.4 yards per attempt. He’s helped significantly by a great offensive line that rarely allows pressure (2^nd best sack percentage in FBS at 1.87%) and an elite pair of receivers led by Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

Smith is possibly the best player in the entire sport and Carnell Tate is a fantastic deep threat. After struggling to run the ball early in the season, freshman Bo Jackson has developed into a legitimate number one running back with depth provided by James Peoples and big back CJ Donaldson (10 TDs). Ohio State is averaging 37 points per game and has rarely exploded for huge games but is that because they are not capable of it or is it a certainty from the coaching staff that just taking care of the ball and letting the defense dominate will ensure comfortable victory?

2. Historically Elite Defense

As mentioned earlier in this article, Matt Patricia was faced with the task of replacing defensive coordinator Jim Knowles after he bolted for Penn State (whoops!) and leading a group of extremely talented players. Ohio State lost multiple NFL Draft picks but still returned a great nucleus plus a number of five-stars ready to step up. Patricia has been fantastic and Ohio State has not surrendered more than 16 points in any game this season. You could question the quality of offenses the Buckeyes have faced but this defense is elite no matter how skeptical you are of the schedule they have played.

They are allowing an average of just 8.5 points per game against FBS opponents (Texas Tech is second at 11.6 and IU is third at 11.9 points per game allowed) and they are top five in the nation in the following categories: yards per game (1^st) yards per play allowed (1^st), opponent first downs per game (1^st), rushing yards per attempt (4^th), rushing yards per game (3^rd), 3^rd down conversions (2^nd), opponent red zone scoring percentage (3^rd), opponent passing yards per game (1^st), sack percentage (4^th).

The linebacker duo of Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese is as good as it gets, Caleb Downs is probably the best safety in the country and Caden Curry has finally gotten significant playing time and leads the team with tackles for loss and sacks.

3. How Much Does This Matter to Ohio State

The stakes in this game are very clear: the only two unbeaten teams in the country are meeting as #1 versus #2 with a Big Ten Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line. That written, both teams know they will be getting a bye in the College Football Playoff regardless of what happens in this game. Ohio State has not won the Big Ten Championship since 2020 but the goals for their program have been made very clear: beat Michigan and win a national championship. Winning this game clearly means more to the IU fan base but how will the Ohio State players and coaches approach this contest?