Ohio State football owns the state of Indiana again

The Ohio State football team is playing six away games this season. This is the first time since 1895 that the Buckeyes are hitting the road for that many games. The first three, which Ohio State have won, were all played in the state of Indiana, but this wasn’t the first time Ohio State defeated Indiana, Notre Dame, and Purdue in the same season in their home stadiums.

Ohio State opened their 2023 season in Bloomington with a 23-3 victory. Ohio State didn’t hit the road again until their fourth game when they defeated Notre Dame in South Bend in a classic last second 17-14 win. This past weekend Ohio State made it three for three in the state of Indiana when they traveled to West Lafayette, defeating Purdue 41-7.

Ohio State became the third team ever to accomplish this feat. Michigan did so in 2010. This was their second time of completing the state of Indiana three sweep, having also done so in 1986. Michigan wasn’t the first team to accomplish this feat however. Michigan State was the first school to do it, having done it in 1960.

The fact that Ohio State has accomplished this feat for a second time is impressive. The Buckeyes did the same thing in 1996, but they only had five away games that season. Both Michigan and Michigan State have had multiple chances to do so given their traditional rivalry with Notre Dame. This was only the second time in Ohio State history they have scheduled away games at all three Indiana school locations.

There has been no indication that the Ohio State Football program and Notre Dame are going to schedule more non-conference home and home games in the future. Maybe that’s by design with the hope that the next time these two traditional powers will play each other during the regular season again, it will be as conference opponents. If not, don’t look for Ohio State to go three for three against Indiana schools again. The chance that all three schools will be scheduled as away opponents with the Big Ten expanding is unlikely.