Having a in-conference game start the season is an odd happening but with the game being played during prime-time on ESPN and Indiana’s Memorial Stadium being within driving distance from Columbus Ohio, it shouldn’t be any surprise that the stadium has sold-out for the season opener tonight. Ohio State enters the game ranked 2nd in the country. Capacity for the stadium is a little less than half of what can be held at Ohio State’s stadium, 52,929.

The last time Indiana sold out their stadium was October 3rd, 2015 against Ohio State once again. The Buckeyes won that game 34-27.

Ohio State comes into the 2017 season with a new offensive coordinator, Kevin Wilson, who was released from Indiana program last year.

College GameDay

ESPN’s College GameDay will be in town for the game for the first time ever. Kick-off is at 8:00pm with doors opening at 5:30pm. College GameDay will be broadcast on the scoreboard for fans that show up early. ESPN will also broadcast the show on its Megacast platform, allowing for alternative views, announcers and commentators. Other programs that will broadcast from the stadium include College Football Live and College Football Countdown.

Lee Corso, from College GameDay, will be honored after the first quarter of the game. He is a former coach at Indiana.

IU Athletics Crowd Concerns

Tom Allen, Indiana’s new head coach, has called this the biggest home game in the program’s history. The team hopes that atmosphere will be electric with a large number of Hooser students on hand to cheer on their team.  The athletic department seems a little concerned about the crowd on-hand and being able to handle getting everyone into the stadium in an orderly fashion. They have added ticket scanners, event managers to monitor the lines, and metal detectors to make sure the wait to get in is as short as possible. The whole country should be watching Bloomington Indiana tonight.

Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

Houston Texas and surrounding areas have been in the news for a number of days now after experiencing one of the worst tropical storms in history in Harvey. The death toll from flooding has reached 30 with a record 52 inches of rain recorded in Houston.

Ohio State football has stepped up to help with a donation to the Red’s Cross Hurricane Harvey relief fund of $10,000. Players and Coaches have all made donations to reach the goal amount. A number of players on the team come from Texas including JT Barrett, Kendall Sheffield, Baron Browning, Jeffrey Okudah, JK Dobbins, Demetrius Knox, and Ellijah Gardiner. Coach Urban Meyer spoke directly to Sheffield’s parents in Texas to make sure they were safe.

Both teams, Ohio State and Indiana, will have decals on their helmets tonight in support of the Texas relief effort.

In addition, the Ohio State basketball teams are donating shoes and clothing to the University of Houston and coach Kelvin Sampson. Sampson is running a nationwide program to provide those in need in the area with clothing from universities across the country.