Fresh off their big win in Ann Arbor, the Ohio State Buckeyes now turn their attention to Indianapolis, where they'll face the Indiana Hoosiers this Saturday for the Big Ten Championship.
Indiana—long considered primarily a basketball school—has stunned the college football world this season, entering the title game ranked No. 2 in the country.
So, how did the Hoosiers pull off such a dramatic rise?
Zach Osterman covers IU Athletics for the Indianapolis Star.
Matthew Rand: The Hoosiers’ turnaround really has been remarkable, ever since head coach Kurt Cignetti took over the program a couple of years ago. What have been the key changes he made that set this transformation in motion?
Zach Osterman: I think so much of it really has come down to intangibles: mindset, confidence, preparation. Indiana football had been to four bowl games in the seven years between 2015 and 2020. There was certainly a feeling that investment had begun to pay off at Indiana. Tom Allen sort of slumped at the end of his tenure, but I think there was still a belief that Indiana was starting to find some sort of formula for success in football. But I think what Cignetti brought and the extent to which he elevated this program—again, it's confidence, it's preparation, it's player development, it's expectations, frankly, for itself—all kind of skyrocketed. And I think if last season was maybe serendipity in some ways—the schedule lining up, some really well-worked roster management in the transfer portal—I think this year was much more about a team that believed it belonged on these stages and spent an entire season working to prove that.
Matthew Rand: This Indiana team has been explosive all season. Who are some of the standout playmakers that Buckeye fans should be watching out for heading into Saturday?
Zach Osterman: They'll probably know Fernando Mendoza well, Indiana's starting quarterback, who alongside Julian Sayin, is a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy. Those two I think are unquestionably the two best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Mendoza has put together one of the best seasons for a quarterback in Indiana history, and in some ways the best. He's already set a handful of program records with a few more in sight. He's got some very good pass catchers to throw to, most notably Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt, who were both second team all-Big Ten honorees this season, as was Riley Nowakowski, his starting tight end to transfer from Wisconsin.
Some of it has been transfers, Mendoza most notably. But there are also players on this roster that just were a lot better for the experience of last season. And when you look at an Elijah Sarratt, an Omar Cooper, a Kaelon Black, you know, some of those offensive linemen, I think Indiana has just improved across the board in its consistency, even against better competition in 2025.
Matthew Rand: Ohio State, for its part, is coming off a huge emotional win against Michigan. From Indiana's perspective, is there a sense of opportunity to try to catch the Buckeyes off guard while they're basking in the glow of that victory?
Zach Osterman: Yeah, I think Indiana, especially after the way last season's game against Ohio State went, I don't think Indiana feels like certainly an underdog in any sense. I think Indiana understands how difficult it is to beat Ohio State. Again, they can refer back to the to the experience of losing pretty heavily in Columbus last year.
I think this Indiana team expected to be on these stages. They expected to be playing in games of this magnitude. And I think they're eager to try and prove themselves. I don't think they'll have any illusions of sneaking up on Ohio State, if for no reason, other than because frankly, Ohio State has been the best team in the Big Ten over the last two years. There's a pretty strong argument Indiana has been the second-best team in the Big Ten in that time. But I think Indiana feels like it is better equipped to maybe stand toe-to-toe with Ohio State than it did a year ago.
Matthew Rand: And in just a couple of seconds, will Indiana have any sort of home field advantage, you know, playing in Indianapolis or are you seeing a lot of Buckeyes fans buying up tickets to try to mitigate things?
Zach Osterman: No, I expect it will be a pretty even split. And you know, if nothing else, I think most of the time, when Ohio State plays in a Big Ten title game in Indianapolis, it is a heavily Ohio State proud crowd. I've covered some of those games. I don't think Ohio State's going to have it all its own way here ... I think you are going to see a very healthy split inside Lucas Oil Stadium between Ohio State fans and IU fans.
