The Ohio State Buckeyes will take on the Indiana Hoosiers Thursday evening from Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, officially getting the Big Ten schedule underway! While this game is just the first of 12 on the schedule for both teams, a win on opening night vs a rival like Ohio State would be incredibly huge for an Indiana program on the rise.

It all starts at quarterback for the Hoosiers

If the Indiana Hoosiers are going to compete for a Big Ten title, or even just a nice New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day bowl game, they are going to have to have another big year out of their senior quarterback Richard Lagow.

Lagow returns to the gridiron for the Hoosiers following a nice junior season, and is hoping his experience will play a key role in the Hoosiers' success in 2017.

Last season Lagow threw for 3,363 yards and 19 touchdowns, however, he did throw 17 interceptions as well, with some happening at key points of the game. While the Hoosiers will need a big game from Ladow if they are to try to pull off the upset Thursday evening, players like IU senior linebacker Tegray Scales realize how big this opening day game is.

"You don't get this opportunity often," Scales said. "It's one of the biggest openers in Indiana history. We embrace it and plan to take it head on."

Scales is right, this game could be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, game Indiana has ever opened the season with.

Not just because they are facing a tough Big Ten rival in Ohio State, but they are also playing the No. 2 team in the country. A win for Indiana tonight would look awfully good on their resume this bowl season.

Ohio State -- NCAA championship or bust

As the Ohio State Buckeyes prep for another season, it is once again the same motto under head coach Urban Meyer - win the Big Ten title and go to the national championship game.

Just like the Hoosiers, OSU will bring back an experienced QB in JT Barrett. In 2016, Barrett threw for 2,555 yards with 24 touchdowns while leading the Buckeyes to a playoff game against the Clemson Tigers last December. Unfortunately for OSU fans, Barrett and the Buckeyes failed to score in the Fiesta Bowl, losing the final game of last season 31-0.

With that loss hanging over their heads, you know that the Buckeyes want to get a win tonight and put that ugly defeat behind them

How to watch live, ATS prediction

To say the Buckeyes own the Hoosiers is an understatement. OSU has won 21 straight vs. Indiana and they lead the all-time series 72-12-5. Now that is one sided! Here is the positive for IU. The team has been improving, and they have played OSU tough the last two seasons. The Hoosiers almost pulled off a big upset in 2015 at home, however, they lost in the end 34-27. Last season host Ohio State won 38-17, but the game really was closer than the final score indicates. Below is all the information you need to know about Thursday’s Ohio State vs Indiana match-up.

  • Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
  • TV: ESPN
  • Live stream: Watch ESPN
  • Point Spread: Ohio State -21.5 (Over/Under 57)
  • Pick: Indiana +21.5
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