No. 5 Indiana set to take big stage against No. 2 Ohio State

Indiana has a chance to exorcise demons, silence the skeptics about a soft schedule and, by the way, likely book spots in the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff.All the No. 5 Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) have to do is defeat No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday.”We’ve put ourselves in a position right now to be talked about quite a bit,” Indiana first-year coach Curt Cignetti said. “That’s nice. It doesn’t help us prepare, doesn’t help us play any better. But we’ve got some great opportunities ahead of us.”The rankings for each team remained unchanged in the third CFP poll announced Tuesday, meaning the Buckeyes will play their third top-5 matchup of the season.They were No. 2 when they lost at then-No. 3 Oregon 32-31 on Oct. 12. Ohio State was No. 4 for a 20-13 win at then-No. 3 Penn State on Nov. 2.”Our guys are fired up for this one,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “They know that this is a must-win for us. We have to win this game to play in Indianapolis (in the Big Ten championship game). The team, the coaches, everybody in this building, the fans know what kind of game this is. We’ve got to bring it on Saturday.”Indiana lucked out in the Big Ten scheduling by not having Penn State and Oregon on the slate, and the Hoosiers’ nonconference foes were Florida International, Western Illinois and Charlotte. The team’s biggest win was 20-15 over struggling Michigan on Nov. 9 ahead of a bye. Indiana ends the regular season against one-win Purdue.”I think we have a confident team that believes and takes care of business,” Cignetti said. “They prep well. They’re detailed. They played fairly consistently to a standard, not circumstances of the game, and that’s what we preach.”The Hoosiers are playing the schedule presented to them and doing it well behind Ohio University transfer Kurtis O’Rourke, who ranks second nationally in passing efficiency at 182.7 with 21 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. He is one spot ahead of Ohio State’s Will Howard (181.9, 24, 5).Indiana has the nation’s top rushing defense at 72.2 yards allowed per game, having held opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground seven times. The Buckeyes are fourth in rush defense (90.7).

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