No. 1 Buckeyes visiting Indiana for a battle of unbeatens

If he’s going to be a Heisman Trophy contender, he can’t be finishing games with just around 100 yards.

The Buckeyes are scheduled to face Michigan State at 1 p.m. on Sunday in East Lansing, Michigan. Several thousand anguished Ohio State fans might try to end it all afterward by leaping into the Olentangy, Hoover Reservoir, Tymochtee Creek or any convenient body of water, but the survivors aren’t likely to be talking it about 40 years later.

O-G GRAD WITH HOOSIERS: Dan Godsil, a freshman from Ottawa-Glandorf, is a long snapper on punts for Indiana. Michigan State’s 12 straight games with 30-plus points is the longest active streak in the FBS.

Even when the Hoosiers aren’t the worst team in the Big Ten, a situation that nearly certainly exists today, they represent the one game on the conference schedule that the Buckeyes can’t lose without being ushered into the hall of infamy.

Ohio State has won 51 of the 55 games since 1952. Should Indiana win this game?

As for the Buckeyes, they are looking to regain their dominate form, and can take solace in the fact that they still own the nation’s top ranking and the inside track to the conference title and College Football Playoff.

Things could be different this time.

But Ohio State has shown signs of weakness this season, and the Hoosiers are off to their best start in a quarter century, potentially setting up a critical Big Ten showdown Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.

Meyer on Marshall: Ohio State coach Urban Meyer addressed Jalin Marshall’s switch from No. 17 to No. 7 on Wednesday.

“You want to play the best there is”, quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. When I had Tom Herman, Tom Herman always had Ed Warinner, and now Ed’s got to have Tim, and Tim’s doing a fine job. “That was a program changer”, Meyer said.

This is as good a place as any to pause for moment and consider what this means. “We’re certainly addressing that very hard”. Stretches of unimpressive football in September left lots of people wondering if the unbeaten Buckeyes truly are the best team in the land.

When I say “that guy”, I’m talking about the most obnoxious football fan in the world – the one who thinks because bought a ticket to see the game, he has every right to act like a loud, boorish, more-than-slightly unpleasant smelling human being for a little more than thee hours. “We just have to come out and compete at a high level and look them eye to eye and fight”. If Howard runs wild, the Hoosiers may have a chance to pull the upset. WR Simmie Cobbs’ seven catches last week was very welcome, as it might give the Buckeyes someone else to worry about besides game-breaker Ricky Davis. He and running back Jordan Howard, who averages 169 yards a game, lead an Indiana offense which averages 38 points a game. If need be, Howard can also run in a similar style. In the last three games, he had 10 tackles and two sacks. I’ll take him on my team any day.

THE RED SEA: Ohio State tends to draw the biggest crowds in Bloomington and it’s no secret why: Reasonably-priced tickets are available and Columbus is just a 3 1/2-hour drive away.

Three of those wins were by a touchdown or less and three were come-from-behind wins, so the expectation is that OSU will continue to dominate a series in which it has lost only twice since the early 1950s. Michael Thomas has been spectacular so far this season, and if the defense chooses to focus on him, it could lead to big things for any of those four players.