Ohio State Football: 3 things to watch against Indiana

One of the best early season matchups happens on Aug. 31 when Ohio State football takes the field against the Indiana Hoosiers.

The No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes start their season against Indiana with a game agaist Oklahoma looming in Week 2. Indiana is not an easy first opponent. The Hoosiers were a bowl team a year ago and nearly beat Utah.

Not many Thursday games are more entertaining. Oklahoma State and Tulsa should be good. However, this is the only Big Ten match. Indiana did not compete with OSU last year. The same is expected this year.

Names to Know

Ohio State is favored by 20-points. Indiana should be bowl caliber. They could keep this game close. The Hoosiers have home field advantage behind them. J.T. Barrett was solid on the road. He could continue that.

Running back Mike Weber gets his first look this year. He tailed off to end the 2016 campaign. A big year means a Heisman campaign. Weber needs to get momentum in the right direction. Wide receiver has some new faces at the position.

Ohio State’s defense looks good. The front seven is one of the best in the Big Ten. Sam Hubbard misses this game. The secondary does not look as good. Players like Malik Hooker and Marshon Lattimore stepped up last year. The same could happen.

A Playoff run for the Buckeyes starts here. Head coach Urban Meyer led them to a Playoff berth in two of the last three years. They got stomped by the National Champion Clemson Tigers in the Semifinal. Now, let’s take a look at three things to watch for the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Indiana Hoosiers.