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No. 2 Indiana stunned top-ranked Ohio State 13–10, clinching the program’s first outright Big Ten title in nearly 80 years. With the victory, the Hoosiers are all but locked in as the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff and are headed to the Rose Bowl.
Indiana didn’t have its sharpest offensive effort, but quarterback Fernando Mendoza came up big when it counted. On a pivotal 3rd-and-6 late in the fourth quarter, Mendoza found Charlie Becker for a 33-yard strike to extend the drive. From there, Indiana milked the clock down to the final seconds.
Ohio State’s explosive offense never got comfortable against one of the nation’s best defenses. Long drives repeatedly fizzled: the Buckeyes were stuffed on a fourth-and-1 inside the red zone, and later missed a short field goal after a 15-play march. Those missed opportunities would define the night.
Indiana’s defense owned the spotlight, limiting Ohio State to just 276 total yards. The Hoosiers sacked quarterback Julian Sayin five times and picked him off once. Linebacker Isaiah Jones led the charge with two sacks.
For Ohio State, the loss means another season without a Big Ten crown since the shortened 2020 campaign—even after last year’s national title run. At 12–1, the Buckeyes will still be in the mix for a first-round playoff bye, but they’ll head into Selection Sunday with more questions than expected.
