The Indiana Hoosiers have been the number one story in all of college football this season. Thanks to new head coach Curt Cignetti and his misspelled namesake quarterback Kurtis Rourke the Hoosiers have quickly gone from nine wins in three combined seasons to 10 wins before Thanksgiving 2024. It's been an unfathomably wild ride of dominance. But can it continue against Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes?

The Hoosiers lead the nation in pass success rate, expected points added per drop back, and much more on offense. Their defense ranks second among all FBS teams in yards per play allowed on the year. However, their strength of schedule has been utterly ridiculous so far, ranking 82nd among 134 FBS college football teams. So, which is it? An easy schedule that set up Indiana for unprecedented success? Or are they actually a legitimate national title contender?

To help answer that question (among others), we turn to one of our Ohio State beat writers here at A to Z Sports, Ian Valentino. He answers three key burning questions that could define Indiana's chances against true freshman phenom wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, quarterback Will Howard, and Ohio State's stacked defense full of future NFL stars.

3 burning questions answered for Indiana vs. Ohio State

Where is the one weakness in Ohio State's Top 3 FBS defense? The Buckeyes are Top 6 against both the run and pass, but there has to be one exploitable starter or two, right?

Absolutely, there are a few areas where Indiana can attack. The first is the cornerback room. While this group had high expectations, they have not performed as anyone had hoped. Denzel Burke has been disastrous, Davison Igbinosun is a penalty machine, and Jordan Hancock has failed to take a leap. Indiana's excellent back-shoulder game puts each of them at-risk of allowing big plays, and if Ohio State starts blitzing, they can find chunk plays downfield.

Will Howard's completion percentage drops over 20% and his yards per attempt drops by nearly four full yards when pressured. How can Indiana actually get after Howard, forcing mistakes that could keep the Hoosiers in the game?

Injuries have decimated this offensive line, and this week's news about Seth McLaughlin has made it worse. Ohio State is one of the few teams in the country that can move Donovan Jackson to tackle and insert their 2023 starting center into the lineup, so no one is crying for the Buckeyes. However, Josh Simmons and McLaughlin (both out for the year) are the team's best two blockers. I don't think Indiana needs to do a whole lot of blitzing to be effective, as providing clear passing lanes is a worse outcome than trying to confuse Howard. Indiana should instead regularly look to clog underneath routes and rush only four or five defenders. Make Ohio State nickel and dime you down the field and eat clock.

Nebraska and Oregon were able to take away Ohio State's ground game, forcing Will Howard to win the day. Can IU do the same? And if so, how?

Yes, they can. The Buckeyes' run game has been an issue due to the lack of blocking talent. When it works well, the Buckeyes are unstoppable. Chip Kelly has brought some terrific concepts to the unit, but they're still starting several average starters along the line. Indiana can simulate pressure with second-level defenders before dropping them back as spies looking to execute run fits.

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From the sound of it, Indiana's path to victory is quite real. Their top tier offensive success this season mixed with newfound opportunities to exploit Ohio State's overrated secondary and decimated offensive line should make Saturday's Big Ten showdown a close game. If the Hoosiers can actually pull off this win, there will no longer be any doubts as to whether they're a real title contender.

We'll be back with more Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!