CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Ohio State Buckeyes are in yet another top five matchup this weekend, against an Indiana team no one thought would be where they are at 10-0.
For former Hoosiers who grew up in the Buckeye state, it’s been special to see this season unfold.
It’s a season Hoosier fans weren’t expecting, but are now embracing.
Just last season, when Ohio State opened the year in Bloomington, there were lots of empty seats in the stands just moments before kickoff. But this year is different. Former Hoosiers remember the ups and downs of the last 10 years of IU Football.
“We were good. We were really good," said Sean Wracher, the Hoosiers' long snapper from 2019-2023. "We were up to seventh in the country and in places that this program hasn't been before. And 21 through 23, that kind of fell off a little bit. And it's where you saw Curt Cignetti came in. And this has kind of been unprecedented times for Indiana football so far.”
“Couldn't really get over the hump when I was in college, but it's good to see that they're over to hump now," former IU linebacker Tegray Scales said. "Obviously every year you got to play right and and determine how your season will be. So, I hope that this is the new Indiana.”
Sean Wracher, a St. Ignatius graduate and former IU long snapper, remembers growing up in the Buckeye State.
“When I was younger, a little bit, kind of a Zeke Elliott days of Ohio State football," Wracher said of being a Buckeye fan when he was a kid. "You know, they were winning national championships. It's hard not to be.”
And Tegray Scales, a former Colerain Cardinal and IU Linebacker from 2014-2017, remembers how big a game playing OSU was in his home state.
“I used to take that game very personal," Scales said. "Not because I didn't get an offer from there or anything, but just because I'm from Ohio, and I knew I had a lot of family friends watching who supported me, although they were Ohio State fans, but, you know, still supported me. So, it was awesome playing, you know, that's always a top ranked team in the country. You're playing some of the best guys in the country, which is what I went to Indiana for.”
Now, these former Hoosiers are embracing this year’s success.
“At first it was a big surprise," Wracher said. "My roommate and I actually started doing an Indiana football podcast after the first game, kind of not knowing the direction this was going. And it's completely taken off just because of this team.”
While these Hoosiers from the Buckeye state know it’s a tough task against Ohio State, they said they’re proud alumni of this IU program.
“I feel like I have a lot of pride and a lot of the alumni that I've been around are just so excited about the product that's on the field, and seeing this program finally achieve the heights that we all knew and thought that, you know, we could achieve," Wracher said.
“It didn't just start this year," Scales said. "You know, it started before even before I got there. And you can go back as far as you want, but just to see it come to light now and as successful as they're doing now, you know, top five like nobody ever thought is even now they still getting a shade, you know, like they don't belong and whatnot, but they're there and they belong to be there.”