The No. 1 Ohio State has a difficult challenge awaiting them in the B1G championship game against Indiana. While their bye in the playoffs looks secured, a loss can drop the Buckeyes down to No. 2. Ryan Day got his WR duo, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, back against Michigan, and now more good news is in store for the December 6 game.

“We’re in a better place now than we were last week, so we’re expecting a full week of work,” said Ryan Day ahead of the Indiana game. That means both Smith and Tate are good to go against the Hoosiers.

Smith and Tate had incredible outings against Michigan in Ann Arbor. Before the game, there were doubts surrounding the WR2’s availability. Nevertheless, Tate put up an 82-yard receiving performance, which included a 50-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. Jeremiah Smith, on the flipside, accumulated 40 yards, which also included a 35-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. The injury concerns, however, remained after the game.

“If you really knew how much work they put into getting on the field and how gutsy they are — I’m sure the fans and everybody would appreciate what they did in going out there and putting it on the line,” said Day about Tate and Smith after the Michigan game.

Before suiting up against the Wolverines, Tate had missed several games. The senior receiver had lower-leg issues in the practice before Purdue. As for Jeremiah Smith, his injury issues surfaced after he played 22 snaps and was forced off the field against UCLA. The sophomore wide receiver was seen limping off the field, which led to him missing the Rutgers game as well. However, now that both Tate and Smith are fully fit, OSU’s chances against Indiana have been bolstered greatly.

Jeremiah Smith is on the cusp of another 1,000+ yard performance and has received 942 yards. Whereas Carnell Tate, owing to his injury, missed some games but still has 793 yards to his name. Apart from Smith and Tate, OSU WR Quincy Porter and QB Mason Maggs are listed as questionable ahead of the Indiana game.

Does Indiana have WR injury concerns going into the B1G championship game?

Indiana currently has wide receiver E.J. Williams listed to be ‘questionable’ apart from kicker Brendan Franke. Apart from them, wide receiver Tyler Morris, defensive back Brysonn Bonds, DL Kellan Wyatt, and RB Lee Beebe are already out for the season. Curt Cignetti would undoubtedly be hoping for Williams to recover, considering he has accumulated 404 receiving yards so far in the season. Despite that, Curt Cignetti is confident.

“We’ve met every challenge up to this point because we prepare consistently the way you need to prepare and put it on the field. That’s what it’s going to take this week: detailed preparation, commit to the preparation, and eliminate the noise and the clutter,” said Indiana head coach Cignetti.

Indiana still has receivers like O. Cooper Jr. (804 yards) and E. Saratt (650 yards) to lean on. The running game led by Roman Hemby (866 yards), Keelon Black (729 yards), and Khobie Martin (453 yards) is 9th in the country. That could give Ryan Day some trouble. Ohio State does come back with Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and RBs like Bo Jackson and James Peoples. That gives Ryan Day hope. The matchup will then be even, as Indiana is listed with a 50.6% win probability, while OSU is at 49.4%, according to ESPN’s matchup predictor.