The Indiana Hoosiers had not won a Big Ten championship in college football since 1967. But Fernando Mendoza, who put his name right at the top of the Heisman Trophy list on Saturday night, led the No. 2-ranked Hoosiers to a 13-10 victory over top-ranked Ohio State and a Big Ten title.
Mendoza got off to a slow start in the first quarter, even getting rocked on the game’s first play by Ohio State’s Caden Curry. But the Indiana quarterback didn’t let that keep him and his Hoosier teammates down before a raucous crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Fernando Mendoza Increasing His Heisman Chances
In the victory, Mendoza was 15-for-23 passing for 222 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He fought off a fierce Ohio State defense for much of the night. In the end, Mendoza was overcome with emotion during a postgame interview with Fox Sports’ Jenny Taft.
“THE HOOSIERS ARE FLIPPIN’ CHAMPS!” 🗣️@IndianaFootball QB Fernando Mendoza was with @JennyTaft after winning the @bigten championship ‼️ pic.twitter.com/qNJBmXCSfW
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 7, 2025
Indiana goes to 13-0 overall and, more than likely, will be the No. 1-ranked team when the final College Football Playoff Rankings are released at noon ET on Sunday morning on ESPN.
While Mendoza deserves the spotlight, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti deserves a bunch of praise, too. Cignetti is in his second season as the Hoosiers’ head coach and put them in position for this record-setting moment. After five seasons at James Madison, Cignetti took over the Indiana program and turned the entire thing around.
Last season, Cignetti led Indiana into the College Football Playoff, but the Hoosiers lost in the first round to Notre Dame 27-17.
Entering Saturday night’s Big Ten title game, Mendoza had 2,758 passing yards this season, 32 touchdown passes, and just five interceptions. Mendoza simply proved himself on the field and, most likely, to Heisman voters as well with this incredible effort.
According to the PFSN CFB QB Impact metrics, Mendoza has an impact score of 92.2 and graded out to an A-. For this night, Mendoza outdueled Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, who also has been on the Heisman watch list for a period of time, too.
With a top College Football Playoff ranking just hours away, Indiana has a chance to enjoy this victory while waiting to see how the playoff bracket breaks down. The College Football Playoff Select Committee has its work cut out for it, too.
Indiana fans, though, will never forget the night Mendoza and the Hoosiers got past mighty Ohio State to win a conference championship for the first time in 58 years.