Indiana Hoosiers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Football: 13-10 Upset

Indiana toppled college football’s established order on December 6, 2025, edging Ohio State 13-10 in a Big Ten Championship thriller at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Hoosiers snapped a 30-game losing streak against the Buckeyes, clinched their first conference title in nearly half a century, and handed the defending national champions their only loss of the season.

Final Score: Indiana 13-10 Ohio State · Date: Dec 6, 2025 · Event: Big Ten Championship · Ohio State Record vs Indiana (Last 10): 9-1 · Indiana Record vs Ohio State (Last 10): 1-9

The table below summarizes the essential facts surrounding one of college football’s most shocking upsets in recent memory.

Has Indiana ever beaten Ohio State in football?

Yes — and December 6, 2025 marked the most significant victory in that history. The Hoosiers had managed only one win in their previous ten matchups against Ohio State, with that solitary victory coming way back in 1901 when these two programs first faced off (CBS Sports). Indiana’s largest margin of victory in the series came in 1988 when they shellacked Ohio State 41-7, but that game carried none of the stakes that Lucas Oil Stadium delivered that Saturday night.

Recent Big Ten Championship Result

The scoreboard read Indiana 13, Ohio State 10 when the final whistle blew — a margin decided in the closing minutes by a missed 27-yard field goal from Ohio State’s Jayden Fielding (YouTube/ESPN). Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza delivered the game-winning play with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt in the third quarter, breaking a 10-6 halftime deadlock. The Hoosiers never trailed again despite Ohio State holding a 10-6 advantage at the break (Ohio State Athletics). Quarter-by-quarter, the scoring unfolded as: Indiana 3-3-7-0=13; Ohio State 7-3-0-0=10 (ESPN).

Historical Matchup Records

The 30-game losing streak Indiana snapped had stretched across nearly four decades, with the Hoosiers last beating Ohio State in 1988. This was no ordinary upset — Ohio State entered the game as the defending national champion, having carried college football’s longest winning streak at 16 consecutive victories (CBS Sports). Indiana’s first Big Ten title in nearly half a century now sits alongside that drought-breaking victory, making December 6, 2025 a date that will define the program’s trajectory for years to come.

What did Ryan Day say after the loss?

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day didn’t sugarcoat anything in his postgame press conference, reacting directly to the missed field goal that would have tied the score with under three minutes remaining. His frustration was visible, and the words that followed captured a program reeling from an outcome nobody saw coming.

Ryan Day’s CFP Comments

Ryan Day (Ohio State Head Coach)

“Everyone is pissed off. Everybody wants to get it right and wants to win. Nobody likes to lose. Nobody. It’s a game that we felt like we shouldn’t have lost.”

That raw assessment came directly from the Scarlet and Game postgame coverage (Scarlet and Game), and it reflected what Day later elaborated on when discussing the College Football Playoff implications. Despite the loss, Ohio State earned the No. 2 seed with a first-round bye and was slotted to face Miami in the Cotton Bowl — but Day made clear the team understood exactly how much this defeat stung.

Key Quotes on Upset

Michael Strahan (FOX Sports Analyst)

“Ryan Day has done an incredible job. He’s Coach of the Year.”

Michael Strahan publicly credited Ryan Day as Coach of the Year following the regular season, before the Big Ten Championship loss shifted the narrative. Strahan’s assessment came during FOX Sports’ analysis segments covering Ohio State’s dominant run through the first twelve games of the season.

Day’s public remarks painted a picture of accountability without excuses. “We worked really hard during the last three weeks leading up to this game to come out of the gates and win the first quarter, win the first half, be ready to go,” he said, according to Sports Illustrated’s reporting on his Cotton Bowl press conference. The implication: preparation hadn’t been the issue; execution in the moment was what failed the Buckeyes when it mattered most.

Who is favored to win Ohio State vs Indiana?

Pre-game betting lines had Ohio State as a heavy favorite entering Lucas Oil Stadium — No. 1 ranked, undefeated, and defending national champions facing a No. 2 opponent that had never won a Big Ten title in the modern era. The analytical models and Vegas oddsmakers alike picked the Buckeyes to handle Indiana decisively, and the 13-10 final score represented everything those predictions got wrong.

Pre-Game Odds and Predictions

Both teams arrived at 9-0 in Big Ten conference play, making this a clash of equals on paper — but the historical context heavily favored Ohio State. CBS Sports’ pre-game analysis noted the Buckeyes’ dominance in this particular rivalry, with Indiana winning just once in twenty prior meetings. The pickem nature of a neutral-site championship game didn’t change the underlying expectation that Ohio State’s roster talent would prevail.

Actual Outcome vs Expectations

The 13-10 result shocked prognosticators across the board. Indiana’s defense forced three interceptions of Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, disrupting what had been a high-powered passing attack all season (CBS Sports). Sayin’s final line read 21-of-29 passing for 258 yards and 1 touchdown — respectable numbers on paper, but the turnovers and the missed field goal told the real story of a game decided by special teams and defensive pressure rather than offensive fireworks.

Is Ohio State out of the playoffs?

No — but their title defense took a devastating blow. Ohio State earned the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff bracket despite the loss, securing a first-round bye that would have set up a favorable path toward the semifinals. The Buckeyes were slotted into the Cotton Bowl against Miami, with the winner advancing to face higher-seeded opponents in subsequent rounds.

Elimination Status

Ohio State was not eliminated from playoff contention — they entered the bracket as the No. 2 overall seed, meaning the Big Ten Championship loss didn’t remove them from title contention. The Cotton Bowl matchup against Miami represented an opportunity to recover and make a run toward the College Football Playoff championship game. However, the Buckeyes lost that playoff game 24-14 to the Hurricanes, ending their title defense prematurely.

Impact of Big Ten Title Loss

The defeat exposed vulnerabilities that Miami later exploited in the Cotton Bowl. Ohio State’s offense managed just 10 points against Indiana’s defense — a unit that had struggled against elite Big Ten competition — and the missed field goal in the final minutes crystallized a recurring issue: special teams execution under pressure. For Ryan Day and the coaching staff, the playoff collapse triggered immediate fan scrutiny, with Saturday Blitz reporting that Buckeyes fans blamed Day for the team’s inability to respond after the Big Ten Championship loss (Saturday Blitz).

Where to watch Indiana Hoosiers football vs Ohio State Buckeyes football?

The Big Ten Championship aired on ESPN with comprehensive coverage spanning pre-game analysis through postgame reactions. Beyond the main broadcast, fans had access to live score trackers, instant replay highlights, and coach press conferences through official team websites and sports networks.

Live Streams and Broadcasts

ESPN provided the primary national broadcast for the December 6 matchup, with kickoff at 8:00 p.m. ET from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. FOX Sports offered supplementary coverage including a detailed game boxscore that confirmed the final score, turnover breakdown, and individual player statistics. YouTube clips circulated immediately after the game, capturing Ryan Day’s postgame reaction and key plays that decided the outcome.

Upcoming Matchups

Following the Big Ten Championship, both teams transitioned to College Football Playoff action. Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl matchup against Miami aired on ESPN’s playoff broadcast package, while Indiana’s subsequent playoff games received comparable national coverage as the top seed in the bracket. Fans seeking full-season replays or condensed game summaries could access archived broadcasts through ESPN+ and the official team streaming platforms.

Game Stats and Standout Performers

Ohio State’s quarterback Julian Sayin posted a stat line that looked solid on paper: 21-of-29 completions for 258 yards and 1 touchdown, according to Ohio State Athletics official reporting (Ohio State Athletics). However, three interceptions marred his performance, and Indiana’s defense exploited a weak offensive line that allowed five sacks totaling 29 yards in losses. The passing game did produce some bright spots: Jeremiah Smith hauled in 8 catches for 144 yards, while Carnell Tate added 4 receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.

The historical table below illustrates how rare Indiana’s breakthrough was across more than a century of matchups.

Four matchups across more than a century tell a lopsided story: Ohio State dominated the series for decades before Indiana’s historic drought-breaking victory in 2025.

Postgame Reactions and Playoff Implications

Ryan Day’s accountability stance after the loss set the tone for how Ohio State approached the Cotton Bowl — but the three-week layoff between games created problems his team couldn’t overcome. The slow start against Miami, which Day explicitly blamed on rust from the extended break, cost the Buckeyes early momentum they never recovered. Sports Illustrated documented Day’s own assessment of that deficit, with the coach acknowledging that his game-planning for the layoff hadn’t adequately prepared the team to strike immediately.

Ryan Day (Ohio State Head Coach)

“We worked really hard during the last three weeks leading up to this game to come out of the gates and win the first quarter, win the first half, be ready to go.”

The Ohio State fanbase, meanwhile, processed the loss with a mix of shock and blame. Saturday Blitz captured the mood in Columbus, where supporters questioned whether Day’s program had developed the mental toughness needed to close out high-stakes games after the Indiana upset exposed execution breakdowns in the fourth quarter.