Indiana takes down Ohio State for Big Ten title as USC watches at home

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It was a tough season for the USC Trojans. They fell short of the real success the top teams in the Big Ten attained. The Trojans were talented this season, but they will be watching it from home. As tough as the season was, the Trojans didn’t have to face the juggernauts of the Big Ten this season. Ohio State and Indiana both look like the two best teams in the country, and they displayed that in a tough, physical Big Ten Title game. The Trojans got lucky this year, but next season they will have to face both of these teams, and one of them might be coming off a national championship victory.

Indiana has been a special program now under Curt Cignetti, who has just completely turned this Hoosiers team around. Just in one season, he took the Hoosiers to an 11-1 record and to a College Football Playoff berth. This season, the Hoosiers took it up a notch, going 13-0 on the season and capping the season off with another playoff berth and taking down a historic Ohio State Buckeyes team. Beating Ohio State and getting the first Big Ten title in program history, and first win over a #1 ranked AP team in program history, is a complete program changer. Indiana will be at the top until Cignetti retires, and at this rate, when he does, his name will be with the greats.

This game was not expected to be a high-scoring match, with the great defenses that were featured on both teams, but nobody had intentions of a 13-10 final score. Both teams had an insane point differential this season. Ohio State finally saw a team that could do exactly what it could do. The Hoosiers’ defense was just as good as the Buckeyes and they have a quarterback who, when it comes down to it, can make the right plays. In all the important categories, Ohio State got outplayed, from the third-down and fourth-down conversions. It was the little things that cost the Buckeyes, but the missed 27-yard field goal in the red zone also did not help Ohio State’s case.

Ohio State got challenged for the first time this season, and unfortunately, it came in the biggest game of their season. Indiana continues to display all the great things about college football: an underdog coming out on top, a star playing crying during a post-game interview, and a coach with lots of arrogance who wins. Curt Cignetti will be able to keep saying, “Google me, I win”. He has earned every bit of the arrogance.

It would be a surprise to no one that these two teams potentially meet up again in the College Football Playoff for big stakes. This could very well be the National Championship game. Both teams’ programs are continuing to head in the right direction, and the USC Trojans are just trying to get to that same level anytime soon. With Indiana and Ohio State on the schedule for the 2026 season, USC could very well already chalk up two losses. That is, if this team shows up the same as this year’s squad, with the same mistakes. If Lincoln Riley and the Trojans build off of this year’s success and take it up a notch, then they can finally be competitive in those games.

If Indiana can completely turn around their program in two seasons, why can’t Lincoln Riley do it? Especially with the #1 recruiting class in 2026. The Big Ten is a gauntlet; everybody knows that. It is still time for the Trojans to be present in games like yesterday or the College Football Playoff.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Indiana beats Ohio State at own game, claims Big Ten football crown

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