Indiana football's 2026 Big Ten schedule announced
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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football will spend the entire month of September at Memorial Stadium as it looks to get back to the national title game.
The Hoosiers’ 2026 schedule also includes a tough midseason stretch featuring three of four games on the road. Before closing out the year with the Old Oaken Bucket game, they will make a rare trip out to Seattle for a matchup against Washington.
The Big Ten announced the full slate of 2026 football schedule for league members on Jan. 27, here’s what stands out about IU’s 2026 slate:
Indiana football players will have to keep their bags packed in October
Indiana football will spend most of October on the road.
The Hoosiers open the month with a trip out to Piscataway to kick off a stretch featuring three of four games away from Memorial Stadium. The road show continues with a game at Nebraska on Oct. 10 and concludes at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 24 where IU coach Curt Cignetti will be looking to reverse his program’s ugly history in Ann Arbor.
One of the few remaining streaks Cignetti hasn’t conquered is IU’s 22-game losing streak at Michigan Stadium that dates back to 1967.
The Hoosiers are just 7-41 all-time in Ann Arbor.
Indiana football will play nine straight games for first time since 2018
Indiana football will play nine straight games before getting a rest in 2026.
They are one of only two teams (USC) in the Big Ten that have to wait until Week 10 for an off week. After sitting idle, IU will actually face off against the Trojans on Nov. 10 at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers are 0-4 all-time against USC, but this will be their first matchup as conference foes.
While FBS teams received multiple off weeks in recent years, that won’t be the case this fall. This will be the first time IU plays nine straight games without a break since the 2018 season.
All eyes will be on Bloomington for Indiana football’s rematch against Ohio State
The last two national title winners will face off in a rematch of last year’s Big Ten title game on Oct. 17 in Bloomington. The Big Ten announced the matchup right after IU’s win over Miami in the CFP championship game.
Indiana ended a 32-game losing streak and locked up the No. 1 overall seed in the CFP with a 13-10 win over Ohio State in 2025. The Buckeyes missed a game-tying 27-yard field goal with 2:48 left in the game.
Most way-too-early top 25 polls have both teams in the top 10, and the high-stakes matchup could have huge postseason implications with the CFP sticking to the 12-team format for next year.
The OSU game will be one of seven home games for Indiana in 2026. The Hoosiers have sold out eight straight conference games going back to Cignetti’s first season at the helm in 2024. The program’s four sell outs in 2024 and 2025 are tied for the second-most in a single season in program history.
Indiana football’s 2026 schedule
- Sept. 5 vs. North Texas
- Sept. 12 vs. Howard
- Sept. 19 vs. Western Kentucky
- Sept. 26 vs. Northwestern
- Oct. 3 at Rugers
- Oct. 10 at Nebraska
- Oc. 17 vs. Ohio State
- Oct. 24 at Michigan
- Oct. 31 vs. Minnesota
- Nov. 14 vs. USC
- Nov. 21 at Washington
- Nov. 28 vs. Purdue
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 2026 Indiana football schedule: Takeaways, toughest stretch
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