Jeremiah Smith needs just one touchdown reception to tie the Big Ten career record as Ohio State prepares to face Indiana in a top-five clash this Saturday.
The No. 4 Buckeyes travel to Bloomington to meet No. 5 Indiana in Week 7, with Smith sitting on 38 career touchdown catches, just one shy of Michigan’s Braylon Edwards’ conference record. Despite Smith’s success against most teams, Indiana has prevented him from scoring in their two previous meetings.
Smith ended a similar scoring drought earlier this season against Texas, which had also held him scoreless in prior matchups. In Week 2 against the Longhorns, he tallied 164 yards, though Ohio State lost that game. No other Big Ten team has stopped Smith from scoring more than once, making this weekend’s game a chance for him to break the record.
Indiana enters the game as a slight underdog despite its impressive home record. Under head coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have won 22 straight games at home and hold an unbeaten 19-0 record in Bloomington. This sets the stage for a high-stakes contest between two of the nation’s best teams.
Week 7 is the first since 2018 to feature four matchups between AP Top 15 teams, adding extra intensity across college football.
In the SEC, No. 6 Alabama visits Tennessee after a loss to No. 1 Georgia. Alabama has not lost back-to-back regular-season games since 2007, Nick Saban’s first season, a streak spanning 220 games. Tennessee, ranked No. 14, has spent the week deciding its quarterback, with George MacIntyre set to start over the injured freshman Faizon Brandon.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Austin Simmons returns to No. 9 Ole Miss, where he began last season as the starter before an ankle injury. Simmons will face No. 13 Missouri in a significant matchup in Oxford.
At night, No. 8 BYU hosts No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo. The Irish come in on a 16-game streak of double-digit wins but have lost seven straight road games against AP Top 10 teams. BYU has not beaten a top-two team since 1990.
Ohio State’s game against Indiana is expected to be a physical Big Ten battle. Analysts have noted Indiana’s solid home record but questioned their ability to contain Ohio State’s passing attack for a full game, especially with D’Angelo Ponds absent from Indiana’s secondary.
Smith’s presence is a major factor in Ohio State’s offense, and breaking the Big Ten touchdown record would add another milestone to his Heisman Trophy frontrunner campaign. The Buckeyes are favored by 3.5 points in the matchup.
The game kicks off at noon on Fox and will be streamed on Fubo. It remains to be seen if Smith will finally score against Indiana and set a new conference record.
According to CBS.
