B1G Championship Game Primer – No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes

Both of these teams have the ultimate goal of winning a national championship and both teams, regardless of this outcome, have nearly certainly earned a bye into the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.

What: #2 Indiana Hoosiers (12-0) vs. #1 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0)

When: Saturday, December 6 at 8:00 pm

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on FOX and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.

Spread and Total: Ohio State (-5.5) | Total of 47.5

Series History: No one has dominated the Indiana Hoosiers on the gridiron more than the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Hoosiers have not knocked off the Buckeyes since 1988 and Ohio State has beaten IU 80 of the 97 times times these teams have played (five ties included).

What’s at Stake: This game is incredibly interesting for some obvious reasons but also because of how little the outcome may ultimately end up mattering. Both of these teams have the ultimate goal of winning a national championship and both teams, regardless of this outcome, have nearly certainly earned a bye into the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.

We’ll know the playoff bracket on Sunday afternoon but it seems highly likely that the winner of this game will be the number one seed and play in the Rose Bowl while the loser will be the number two seed or the number three seed and play in either the Orange Bowl or the Cotton Bowl.

This game represents a massive opportunity for the Indiana Hoosiers as it is a chance to win the program’s first Big Ten Championship since 1967. It’s a chance to play in the Rose Bowl and a chance to secure the number one seed and have a potentially easier path through the College Football Playoff.

Beyond that, Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin are the two favorites to win the Heisman Trophy and there is a lot of speculation that the winner of the duel between the two on Saturday night will end up hoisting the trophy in New York.

A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR

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. How does IU’s offensive line stand up against the Buckeyes?

How aggressive with Indiana be in testing this defense and can the Hoosiers get and then exploit single coverage against Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper?

3. Controlling the Ball

Time of possession is not a definitive stat that determines the quality of a team but it’s certainly interesting that both Indiana and Ohio State are in the top ten nationally in average time of possession per game. Unsurprisingly, Army leads the way at 35:08 per game. Ohio State is fifth at 34:02 and Indiana is seventh at 33:39 per game.

Both teams have excelled at building leads and then sitting on the ball in the second half. The Buckeyes have really turned into a team that is among the nation’s best at playing “keep away” from their opponents. Look at the number of plays their opponents have run this season (power conference opponents):

Michigan – 42 plays
Rutgers – 55 plays
UCLA – 48 plays
Purdue – 44 plays
Penn State – 60 plays
Wisconsin – 46 plays
Illinois – 71 plays
Minnesota – 51 plays
Washington – 53 plays
Texas – 67 plays

In the past six games, all against Big Ten opponents, only Rutgers and Penn State reached 50 plays in a game. The Buckeyes are getting teams off the field on third down (2^nd nationally in third down defense) to end possessions and then playing at a slow pace on offense, ensuring the opponent does not run many plays and that Ohio State ends up winning the time of possession battle.

Indiana has relied on striking quick to build a lead and then dominating the second half on the ground and holding the ball for long possessions in the game’s closing stages. The time of possession could be an interesting subplot in this contest.