Indiana has played Ohio State close recently. Can they do it again in 2017?

On August 31, Ohio State opens its season against a Big Ten opponent for the first time in 41 years, as they head to Bloomington to play Indiana on Thursday night in prime-time. Starting the season with conference play is notable for the Buckeyes on its own, but the matchup will have some extra bite with the offseason coaching changes for each program.

New Ohio State Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson spent the last six years in Bloomington, guiding the Hoosiers to back-to-back bowl games in 2015-16, before leaving under cloudy circumstances prior to Indiana’s Pinstripe Bowl appearance last season. In his stead, IU stuck in-house and hired defensive coordinator Tom Allen as their new Head Coach, thanks to the Hoosiers’ resurgent defense under his watch. As fate would have it, his first task is trying to stop the man who hired him at IU in the first place.

To kick off our 2017 Opponent Preview Series podcasts on The Hangout in the Holyland, Colton Denning chatted with Crimson Quarry’s Ben Raphel to get IU fans’ feelings on Wilson’s departure and his hire at Ohio State, why the Hoosiers have played the Buckeyes close in recent years, and his initial thoughts on the season opener.

They also preview Indiana’s season, why they think the Hoosiers are the clear-cut fourth best team in the Big Ten East, hiring Mike Debord as offensive coordinator (spoiler: a bad hire), whether an eight win season is on the table, and more!

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