The Ohio State Buckeyes improved to 5-1 with a blowout win over the Maryland Terrapins, and the schedule is about to pick up as Ohio State gets deeper into Big Ten play. 

Next up is a road trip to face the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers, who sit at 6-0. The top-10 matchup in Week 7 is also a rematch of last year’s Big Ten Championship, which Indiana won 13-10.

That game started a rough stretch for the Buckeyes. The loss to Indiana was the first of two straight defeats, and Ohio State followed it by falling to the Miami Hurricanes in its first College Football Playoff game. The Indiana loss has stuck with Ohio State ever since, and now the Buckeyes get a shot at revenge.

Eddrick Houston makes it clear Indiana has been circled all year

Ohio State players aren’t hiding what this game means to them. They made that clear right after the win over Maryland.

Ohio State defensive tackle Eddrick Houston was asked when the preparation for Indiana started. He kept his answer simple:

“Since the beginning of the year,” Houston said. “They took something from us that we really wanted. That was one of our goals last year, and they took it from us. So, it’s time to go to their place and handle business.”

Eddrick Houston has revenge on his mind as Ohio State prepares to play Indiana next week.

“They took something from us that we really wanted. That was one of our goals last year, and they took it from us. So it's time to go to their place and handle business.” pic.twitter.com/9Dx5P3GEni

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 11, 2026

Houston’s comments line up with what you’d expect from a program that came up three points short of a Big Ten title. Winning the conference was a goal for the Buckeyes a year ago, and Indiana kept them from reaching it. It sounds like that loss has been fuel for Ohio State since the first day of the year.

Ohio State has been tested more than Indiana

The Buckeyes have faced a tougher path through the first half of the schedule. Ohio State lost to Texas in Week 2, but it bounced back with a ranked win over Iowa in Week 5. The Maryland blowout went as expected for the Buckeyes despite the rain and five starters missing the game.

Indiana, on the other hand, hasn’t been pushed often. The Hoosiers’ closest game was a 20-17 win over Nebraska in Week 6. Outside of that one, a 29-23 win over Northwestern in Week 4 was the tightest game Indiana has played. The Hoosiers are unbeaten, but they haven’t had to win a game like the one Ohio State is bringing to town.

These are two different teams than the ones that met in the Big Ten Championship a year ago, and it’s going to look that way on the field. Still, Ohio State has some key pieces back who know what it takes to go up against Indiana.

Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith bring experience against the Hoosiers

Quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith are both back for the Buckeyes, and both have faced Indiana before. Smith now has two years of experience against the Hoosiers. He did damage against Indiana as a freshman in 2024, and Ohio State will need him big-time in this game as they always do.

A top-10 road game against an unbeaten team leaves little room for mistakes on offense, and Ohio State’s best path to a win runs through its top playmakers.

The opportunity in front of Ohio State is a big one. A win over Indiana in Week 7 would give the Buckeyes a high-quality top-10 victory to go along with the ranked win over Iowa. It also would go a long way toward erasing the memory of how last season ended.

It won’t be easy. Indiana is unbeaten, and the Buckeyes have to go into the Hoosiers’ building to get it done. Ohio State certainly sounds like it has the right mindset heading into the game. Now the question is whether the Buckeyes can turn that mindset into execution on the field.