Indiana has been an impressive surprise under Curt Cignetti and boasts plenty of offensive weapons, with Fernando Mendoza leading them with 13 touchdown passes thrown and being considered a Heisman candidate in the Indiana Hoosiers Football Vs Ohio State Buckeyes Football matchup.
Ohio State has an outstanding defense that could prevent Indiana from scoring points, so make your college football picks and win cash with PrizePicks!
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| QB | Fernando Mendoza |
| RB | Justice Ellison |
| RB | Roman Hemby |
| WR | Elijah Sarratt |
| WR | Omar Cooper Jr. |
| TE | Zach Horton |
| OL | Carter Smith |
| OL | D.J. McKinney |
| DL | Mikail Kamara |
| DL | C.J. West |
| LB | Aiden Fisher |
| LB | Rolijah Hardy |
| CB | D’Angelo Ponds |
| S | Faheem Delane |
| K | Nicolas Radicic |
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| QB | Julian Sayin |
| RB | Bo Jackson |
| RB | James Peoples |
| WR | Jeremiah Smith |
| WR | Carnell Tate |
| WR | Brandon Inniss |
| TE | Max Klare |
| OL | Luke Montgomery |
| OL | Carson Hinzman |
| DL | Kayden McDonald |
| DL | Caden Curry |
| LB | Sonny Styles |
| LB | C.J. Hicks |
| CB | Jermaine Mathews Jr. |
| S | Caleb Downs |
| K | Jayden Fielding |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 19, 2026 | Miami (FL) | Home | W | 27–21 |
| Jan. 9, 2026 | Oregon | Neutral | W | 56–22 |
| Jan. 1, 2026 | Alabama | Neutral | W | 38–3 |
| Dec. 6, 2025 | Ohio State | Neutral | W | 13–10 |
| Nov. 28, 2025 | Purdue | Away | W | 56–3 |
| Nov. 15, 2025 | Wisconsin | Home | W | 31–7 |
| Nov. 8, 2025 | Penn State | Away | W | 27–24 |
| Nov. 1, 2025 | Maryland | Away | W | 55–10 |
| Oct. 25, 2025 | UCLA | Home | W | 56–6 |
| Oct. 18, 2025 | Michigan State | Home | W | 38–13 |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 31, 2025 | Miami (FL) | Neutral | L | 14–24 |
| Dec. 6, 2025 | Indiana | Neutral | L | 10–13 |
| Nov. 29, 2025 | Michigan | Away | W | 27–9 |
| Nov. 22, 2025 | Rutgers | Home | W | 42–9 |
| Nov. 15, 2025 | UCLA | Home | W | 48–10 |
| Nov. 8, 2025 | Purdue | Away | W | 34–10 |
| Nov. 1, 2025 | Penn State | Home | W | 38–14 |
| Oct. 18, 2025 | Wisconsin | Away | W | 34–0 |
| Oct. 11, 2025 | Illinois | Away | W | 34–16 |
| Oct. 4, 2025 | Minnesota | Home | W | 42–3 |
The Heisman Race
On Saturday night in New York City, the 91st Heisman Trophy will be awarded. Indiana running back Jonathan Taylor, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia are vying for this honor at Jazz at Lincoln Center where the trophy will be distributed by the Heisman Trust.
Taylor has been one of the best running backs in college football this season and is considered a front-runner to win this year’s Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien award. With 1,772 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns for Indiana Hoosiers (ranked No. 4, currently playing No. 4 Oklahoma in Cotton Bowl on January 1), he has amassed 1,772 yards of rushing while scoring 20 times – leading Indiana Hoosiers into Cotton Bowl match-up against No. 4 Oklahoma on January 1. Taylor was recently nominated as Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien finalist!
Heisman Trophy winners typically enjoy having an outstanding supporting cast, which Taylor certainly does this year. His running back teammates John Clay, Marvin Harrison and Tevin Coleman all comprise this stellar ensemble;
Clay and Harrison earned first-team All-America selection, while Coleman made the second team. Coleman has also received numerous honors such as winning the Associated Press Player of the Year Award, Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year honors and Chicago Tribune Silver Football award nominations.
Since coach Ryan Day took over, Ohio State has had multiple Heisman candidates since Dwayne Haskins won last year. Haskins led Ohio State to victory in both the Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl appearance while winning six Big Ten Offensive Player of Week awards and being nominated as a finalist for Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year and Chicago Tribune Silver Football awards.
Pavia became a Heisman finalist for the first time ever after throwing for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns for Vanderbilt University to finish 10-4 and reach No. 9 in The Associated Press Top 25 since 1937 – marking their first 10-win season since 1937 and becoming its inaugural Heisman winner from outside of SEC conference programs.
Sayin joins an impressive roster of Ohio State quarterbacks that includes Dwayne Haskins (2018/19), Justin Fields (2019), and C.J. Stroud (2021). Sayin was honored this season as both Graham-George Offensive Player of The Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback Of The Year; additionally he is nominated as finalist for Walter Camp Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Nagurski-Woodson Silver Football as well.
The Offense
Indiana Hoosiers have made significant strides this season on both sides of the ball in Big Ten play, rising up the rankings both offensively and defensively to become one of the league’s premier teams.
Indiana currently stands third in scoring, fourth in total yards, seventh in passing yards and ranks third for defensive efficiency – as well as ranking second for tackles for loss and eighth for sacks and interceptions.
Curt Cignetti has led Indiana’s resurgence under his watch as head coach to become widely considered one of the premier teams in college football.
Within just two seasons he led them to unprecedented heights – reaching national championship appearance and record 16-0 season, including Heisman Trophy win and first ever Rose Bowl victory!
Hoosiers’ success can be attributed to their ability to stop opposing teams from running effectively inside the line of scrimmage using both power and speed as weapons against them.
But while Indiana has done an admirable job limiting interior rushing effectiveness, their defense has struggled with stopping more explosive and risky plays outside. This has been particularly evident against more spread-out offenses as well as during non-conference matches.
To combat that, the Hoosiers brought in several talented defensive backs during the offseason, led by #12 DB Boykin from North Carolina State who has proven himself an outstanding addition.
Not only has Boykin excelled with coverage duties but he’s also been an exceptional run defender – helping Indiana maintain an imposing cornerback group throughout this season.
Defense has seen significant improvement, particularly with regards to stopping blitzes. The team has done an outstanding job identifying and then countering opponents’ blitzes; this has allowed them to reduce completion percentage for opposing quarterbacks while also restricting big plays in passing game play.
The Defense
Hoosier Defense This Year While Indiana Hoosiers defensive performance has been outstanding this season, their vulnerability on passing downs was more pronounced than expected given their emphasis on tackling in space.
When exposed to explosive plays or when over-blitzed or sent too many players towards the edge, their defense often becomes overwhelmed and overwhelmed quickly. On the flip side however, their defensive tackles (DTs) excel at shutting down efficient interior rushing plays efficiently.
Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black, two 210-lb power rushers, have proven to be invaluable assets on offense this season, consistently picking up 5-10 yards per play while breaking through linebackers to cause significant damage. Both have seen plenty of time on the field this season and made sure every play counts for something.
Hoosiers’ secondary, however, has proven far less dependable this season – particularly in the middle third of the field where they have struggled to establish themselves this year. Their safeties have both proven capable players but haven’t produced as effectively in backfield as their corners have done.
That has resulted in below average deep passing defense for Indiana, something they must address if they wish to remain among the elite defensive units across the nation.
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Indiana held Ohio State to just 17 points while building up an 11-point second half advantage against their powerful rival, snapping their longest winning streak ever and likely earning them one of two playoff seeds for this year’s College Football Playoff (CFP) playoffs.
Ohio State was effective on offense throughout most of the game, yet in the second half they missed some key reads and throws from Heisman Trophy candidate Julian Sayin that could have changed its fortunes significantly.
Though they still hold the second-best record in the country, Ohio State should still be considered dangerous when heading into next month’s national championship game in Atlanta. Sayin and her teammates must deliver big performances to take down Alabama in Atlanta next month.
The Final Score
Hoosiers and Buckeyes have long been considered two of the top teams in college football. Saturday’s meeting between these programs in Indianapolis will mark their first faceoff since 2008 and serve as an important test of both programs.
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti has spearheaded an extraordinary turnaround at Bloomington. Within just two seasons at the program, Indiana has achieved unprecedented heights with their inaugural 10-win season, College Football Playoff appearance and Rose Bowl victory – becoming a national powerhouse once more. This remarkable turnaround is being widely heralded as an impressive accomplishment that makes Indiana one of the great turnaround stories in college football history.
Indiana University was founded in 1887, and boasts over 120 years of athletic success. Their football team plays its home games at Jordan Field – named in honor of former President David Starr Jordan – which seats over 70,000 fans and is considered the finest stadium in NCAA Division I football.
Purdue and Indiana have long had a fierce rivalry, which was preserved when the Big Ten split geographical divisions in 2014, with each team competing annually for the Old Oaken Bucket as the award for the winner of their football game.
Both schools are respected national powers, and the Indiana Hoosiers Football Vs Ohio State Buckeyes Football matchup could play an instrumental role in shaping how their conference develops in future years.
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