Noise and clutter.
That's what Indiana coach Curt Cignetti called the bevy of storylines ahead of Saturday's home showdown against No. 4 Ohio State.
One of nine unbeaten teams left in the FBS ranks, the Hoosiers need one more win to tie the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff era record for consecutive victories (23), a mark set under Urban Meyer that ended in 2015.
"This is all about giving our team the best chance to be successful and doing a great job as coaches," Cignetti said Monday. "You know, both teams are going in, in my mind 0-0, and I'm sure that's how they're approaching it, too."
Cignetti harped on what he expects will be a lively atmosphere at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, where the Hoosiers have only beaten Ohio State twice in 32 meetings, the last coming in 1988.
"Ohio State [is] a great football team with a lot of great players. Extremely well coached," Cignetti said. "Ryan Day does a good job. Both coordinators, all the position coaches, I mean, they're really, really good. And not only do they have a lot of excellent players, they have a wow player.
"That's the only really word to describe (Jeremiah Smith) that I can think of. We're going to need our fans. Ought to be a great environment."
Indiana is one of three league teams to appear in this week's updated playoff projections. Narrow escapes against Northwestern and Nebraska over the last three games have raised questions about the overall strength of this season's Hoosiers compared to the group that blitzed through the conference last fall.
Ohio State destroyed Maryland, 45-16, but the Buckeyes weren't clean enough for Day, who showed noticeable frustration during the contest due to a rash of penalties and two turnovers.
"We've got to get this stuff fixed, and some of these penalties don't also come up in practice," Day said Sunday. "The late hits on quarterbacks. They have to be addressed, and they have to understand how important those are."
Indiana's plan for Jeremiah Smith
The Heisman frontrunner has recorded 48 catches for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns, including eight trips to the end zone over three blowout wins against Big Ten competition.
Last season against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship, Smith finished with eight receptions for 144 yards during the Buckeyes' 13-10 loss to the eventual national champions.
"They move Jeremiah around quite a bit. He's taken it up a notch without question," Cignetti said. "I think he has nine touchdown catches in the last three, four games. You know, there is no one like him right now playing at this level. We got two really good ones. He's a freak. We're going to have to do a great job on him."
The Hoosiers got great news last week following the return of defensive back A.J. Harris, who played against Nebraska after being out since Week 1. Indiana appears to be as healthy as it has been this season, while the Buckeyes held out five starters in last week's win.
Day said over the weekend that he expects "a good portion of them back" for Indiana. Wide receivers Brandon Inniss and Devin McCuin, offensive lineman Austin Siereveld, nickel Jay Timmons and linebacker Christian Alliegro were among the regulars who sat out the victory against Maryland.
