The Indiana Hoosiers ran the table through the 2025 college football season, completing a flawless 16-0 campaign en route to a College Football Playoff national championship victory. Before embarking on their playoff run, the Hoosiers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes with a 13-10 final score in the Big Ten championship game. Both of these powerhouse programs are gearing up for the 2026 season with Big Ten title hopes and beyond.
But according to ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, it's the Buckeyes that will end the year as the top team in the conference. "Indiana is not winning the Big Ten," Smith said on First Take.
"It will be [Julian] Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State. Ohio State will win the Big Ten, not Indiana." Curt Cignetti and Indiana will open up their season with a matchup against North Texas this coming Saturday. Then, the Hoosiers will host two more non-conference matchups against Howard and Western Kentucky to ease their way into the season.
Ohio State will face off against Ball State this weekend, before turning its attention toward a highly-anticipated matchup against the Texas Longhorns on Sept. 12.
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