LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- This will be the most significant football game that Indiana University has ever played.

Bigger than anything that happened in 1945 when the Hoosiers went 9-0-1. Bigger than anything that happened in 1967 when IU beat Purdue to win the Big Ten title and later met USC in the Rose Bowl. Bigger than anything during the Bill Mallory era.

Win Saturday at Ohio State and IU has reason to believe it should it should be ranked the No. 1 team in America. The Hoosiers would only need to handle Purdue to secure a spot in the Big Ten championship game.

Lose Saturday against the Buckeyes and, depending upon the final score, IU's critics will chirp that Curt Cignetti's No. 5 team does not deserve a spot in the college football 12-team playoff because of IU's lack of a signature victory.

It's the game of the weekend in college football — and the defining game for IU football.

The Time: Saturday, Noon, Ohio Stadium (102,780), Columbus, Ohio.

How to Watch/Listen: TV — Fox, WDRB Ch. 41 (Gus Johnson, play by play; Joel Klatt, analyst; Jenny Taft, sidelines); RADIO — Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network, WXVW, 1450 AM, 96.1 FM (Don Fischer, play by play; Buck Suhr, analyst; John Herrick, sidelines).

The Line: Point spread Ohio State favored by 12.5 points; Over/Under total points scored 51.

The Last Time: The Buckeyes handled the Hoosiers, 23-3, in the season opener for the 2023 season.

The Series: All Buckeyes. Ohio State has won 28 straight and leads the series 79-12-5. Indiana's last victory came came on Oct. 8, 1988 in Bloomington when the Hoosiers celebrated a 41-7 victory.

The Records: The Hoosiers are 10-0 for the first time in school history and 7-0 in the Big Ten. They're also 3-0 on the road. The Buckeyes are 9-1, losing only to top-ranked Oregon by a point.

Player to Watch for Indiana: Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has had two weeks to continue to heal from the injury to his right thumb that kept him him out of the Washington game. Although Rourke returned to lead IU to wins over Michigan State and Michigan, he did not look as sharp as he did before the injury. But Rourke has the highest quarterback rating in the Big Ten and the second-best in America. He has 21 touchdown passes with only four interceptions.

Player to Watch for Ohio State: Quarterback Will Howard has been as prolific as Rourke, throwing 24 touchdown passes with five interceptions. Howard is a 73% passer who has thrown for 2,484 yards, while also rushing for six scores.

Sideline Storylines:

  • Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff crew, ESPN's College Game Day and the Big Ten Network Tailgate crew will be in Columbus to preview the game.
  • Nine of Indiana's 10 victories have been by 14 points or more. The exception was Indiana's last game, two weeks ago, when the Hoosiers defeated Michigan, 20-15.
  • IU receiver Elijah Sarratt has caught at least one pass in his last 35 college games.
  • IU's 57 offensive touchdowns are tied with Miami (Florida) as the most by any FBS program this season.
  • This is only the fourth time in the 98-game series between the teams that both squads are ranked. The last time was 2020, the COVID-season, when the Buckeyes won, 42-35.
  • Ohio State's average margin of victory in the last 10 meetings between the programs is 24.1 points.
  • The Buckeyes have six Indiana high school players on the roster, including former Floyd Central star Zen Michalski, a starting offensive tackle. Ohio State will be without its best offensive lineman. Center Seth McLaughlin tore an Achilles tendon in practice this week and is out for the season.

The Quote: Ohio State coach Ryan Day has challenged Buckeyes' fans to make Ohio Stadium as daunting of an environment as it has ever been.

"Let's make it the loudest Ohio Stadium's ever been. That's what you want in November. You want it all on the line. You want a top-five matchup at home in November."

The Pick: Ohio State 28, Indiana 14.

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