The Indiana Hoosiers roster is a near spitting image of the Ohio State Buckeyes, which sets up the huge matchup Saturday
The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers are setting up for one of the best matchups of the year on Saturday.
Indiana is one of the only teams that will be able to test the Buckeyes, at least on paper. Looking at these two rosters, these two teams are near spitting images of each other.
If it weren't for Ohio State's historic team, the Hoosiers would be spoken about as one of the great teams in the history of the game.
Led by head coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers' offense can quickly score points, while the defense is statistically just one notch below the Buckeyes. The difference from Ohio State this year is that the Buckeyes haven't played a close football game since August. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers have been in dogfights with Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State.
The positive is that Indiana is battle-tested, but the flip side is that Ohio State is so much better than its competition.
On paper, position by position, the Hoosiers and the Buckeyes are very similar.
At the quarterback position, the two guys are playing some of the best football in America. Both Julian Sayin and Fernando Mendoza are likely going to be two finalists for the Heisman Trophy, and some may say that Saturday will determine the award.
Mendoza is completing 72 percent of his passes for 2,758 yards, 32 touchdowns to five interceptions. He is a complete football player and is a major reason why the Hoosiers are the No. 2 team in the country.
Compared to Sayin, it's a very close race. Sayin is completing 78 percent of his throws for 3,065 yards on over 50 more pass attempts for 30 touchdowns to five interceptions. The two quarterbacks are playing the best football in the country, and it is showing this season.
On the outside, each of their top targets have done their thing throughout the entire 2025 season. Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. has 804 yards on 58 catches for 11 touchdowns, but none bigger than his walk-off touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Star wideout Jeremiah Smith is Sayin's top target, and he has yet to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. He has 942 yards on 72 catches for 11 touchdowns as well.
The two backs are also very similar on the stat sheet. Roman Hemby has 866 yards on 131 carries and six touchdowns, compared to Bo Jackson's 955 yards and five touchdowns. Jackson has hit these marks on 12 fewer carries than Hemby.
The Hoosiers' offense will be the best unit that the Buckeyes will have faced this year and will present a formidable matchup. For the first time all year, the Buckeyes may surrender some points and have to grind it out... Or they may not.
The Buckeyes' defense is so dominant that everyone wants to see them against a good offense for the first time in months.
The stage is set for Saturday, and the Buckeyes and Hoosiers will be closer to each other than what many people want to think.