Try to think of the biggest and most meaningful on-campus sporting event in the history of Indiana University athletics.
Now, move it to the No. 2 spot.
On Saturday at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, No. 5 Indiana hosts No. 4 Ohio State in what will be the biggest sporting event in the history of the Bloomington campus.
There is no argument.
“I’m glad we’re playing at home,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said on Monday. “We really need our crowd to be loud and very involved. We’ve got to give them reasons to be. It’s just a football game, but I’m glad it’s at home. Two really good teams. Great team we’re playing. Not sure how good we are yet. But our crowds have been awesome. They need to be loud, real loud.”
Indiana has not played at home since its 29-23 win against Northwestern on September 25. Just over three weeks separate the last home game from Saturday’s showdown.
Those 22 days have steadily grown the anticipation in Bloomington for what lies ahead. In the process, Indiana dominated Rutgers 47-15 in Piscataway and squeaked out a 20-17 win against a solid Nebraska team in a hostile environment in Lincoln.
As Indiana remains unbeaten, those 22 days away from home have also set Indiana up for a multitude of milestones.
Indiana has won 22 consecutive games, one shy of Ohio State’s 23-game mark set in 2014 and 2015.
Saturday’s game is the first matchup between two top-five teams in Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium history. It is also the first top-ten matchup at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.
Saturday will also mark 315 days since the Big Ten Championship Game, where No. 2 Indiana beat No. 1 Ohio State 13-10 in Indianapolis. It marks 693 days since No. 2 Ohio State beat No. 5 Indiana 38-15 in Columbus – the first loss in the Cignetti era.
The budding rivalry between Indiana and Ohio State continues to grow. Each matchup during the Cignetti era has provided a new wrinkle. The 2024 edition in Columbus was a ‘prove it’ game for Indiana that ended in embarrassment. The 2025 Big Ten championship game was one of the most anticipated Big Ten games ever and it delivered. It proved Indiana was the best team in the country.
The 2026 edition of the matchup on Saturday features the last two college football national champions. It gives Indiana the chance to prove it can maintain excellence after winning it all.
It is the first time Ohio State has come to Bloomington in the Cignetti era. It is a chance for Ohio State to get revenge on Indiana for the first time in 40 years.
For Cignetti, none of that matters. It is still just a football game.
“Both teams are going in, in my mind, 0-0, and I’m sure that’s how they’re approaching it, too. All that other stuff is just noise and clutter,” he said.
There will be no shortage of talent on the field. Both coaching staffs are elite. The head coaches have a combined 115-15 record at their schools. Indiana leads the Big Ten in points allowed per game and ranks third in points per game. Ohio State is second and first in those same categories.
The game will feature two of the conference’s top three players in rushing yards, passing touchdowns, receiving touchdowns, passing efficiency and sacks. Quarterbacks Josh Hoover and Julian Sayin have combined for 34 touchdown passes and two interceptions, both by Sayin.
A national audience will once again turn its attention to Bloomington. FOX Big Noon Saturday will broadcast the game, with the Big Noon Kickoff pregame show on site as well. ESPN College Gameday will not be in Bloomington, but the game will be discussed throughout the show.
The game has been sold out for months. A red-out dress code is in order.
The third edition of Curt Cignetti vs. Ryan Day will be a Saturday to remember in Bloomington.
