Game Prediction: No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Vs. Indiana Hoosiers

Who does our staff think will win Saturday's game between the Buckeyes and Hoosiers?
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Second-ranked Ohio State returns to Ohio Stadium after a two-game road trip to face Indiana, which has lost six games in a row after a 3-0 start to the season.

The Buckeyes have won 26 straight games against the Hoosiers, not including 38-10 victory during the vacated 2010 season, a streak that dates back to a 27-27 tie in Bloomington in 1990.

That said, here's how our staff at BuckeyesNow expects this weekend's game to go down:

What's The Betting Line For Ohio State-Indiana?

OHIO STATE vs. INDIANA Saturday, 12 p.m. on FOX
Spread: Ohio State (-40)
O/U Total: 58.5

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Ohio State Vs. Indiana Predictions

Brendan Gulick: Ohio State 56, Indiana 10

I think the Buckeyes are going to get back on track and look the way we expected them to look last week until the weather made things challenging. The forecast in Columbus on Saturday doesn’t look anywhere near as bad as it did last weekend in Evanston.

Unfortunately, Indiana football is a mess right now. Two years ago this was a great game. Tom Allen had the Hoosiers rolling and they gave Ohio State a really tough test. But this year’s team is having a really bad year and I don’t like their scheme against this Ohio State offense.

Andrew Lind: Ohio State 48, Indiana 10

There are plenty of excuses for why Ohio State couldn't run the ball last weekend at Northwestern, be it weather, injuries or the lack of excitement for an 11 a.m. local start against a team that was 1-7.

At the end of the day, through, the Buckeyes should be able to get one yard on third down every single time no matter the condition. If they want to reach their goals, that's non-negotiable.

That's why I expect there to be a heavy emphasis on running the ball this weekend against Indiana. We know what Ohio State can do in the passing game, but figuring out the ground game is priority No. 1.

I don't anticipate they'll be fully healthy at running back, but with the Hoosiers' defense being as bad as it is, there's an opportunity to switch some things up and see what works and what doesn't – particularly on the offensive line and in play-calling.

After all, that's what these next two weeks leading up to Michigan are for. If the Buckeyes are going to beat the Wolverines, they have to be sound up front and not predictable when running the ball, and I think we'll feel much better about that coming out of Saturday than we have recently.

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Andrew Lind
ANDREW LIND

Andrew Lind is an Ohio State beat writer and photographer at BuckeyesNow, founder of The Ohio State Uniform Database and the NCAA and NFL writer at SportsLogos.net.