For the first time in Big Ten Championship Game history, both participants will enter undefeated. No. 2 Indiana (12-0) and No. 1 Ohio State (12-0) are set to collide at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, with the conference title, the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, and 80 years of Hoosier football history on the line.

This isn't just another football game. This is Indiana's biggest battle ever.

Why This Game Matters for Indiana

The Hoosiers have waited a long time for this moment. Indiana hasn't won a Big Ten title outright since 1945, when Bo McMillin led the team to a 9-0-1 record during the final months of World War II. The only other conference championship came in 1967 under John Pont, a co-title shared with Purdue and Minnesota.

Since then? Fifty-eight years of waiting. No conference titles. No championship game appearances. Until now.

The Hoosiers punched their ticket to Indianapolis with a dominant 56-3 beatdown of Purdue in the 100th Old Oaken Bucket Game. Read the full breakdown of Indiana's historic 12-0 regular season →

Indiana last beat Ohio State in 1988, a streak spanning 36 years, and the all-time series stands at 81-12-5 in favor of the Buckeyes. Curt Cignetti's squad has a chance to change the narrative in one night.

Game Information

• When: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET

• Where: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

• TV: FOX

• Streaming: FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App

• Line: Ohio State -4.5 to -5.5

• Over/Under: 47.5-48.5

The Numbers: How These Teams Compare

This matchup features a classic strength-on-strength battle: Indiana's high-powered offense averaging 44.3 points per game against Ohio State's stingy defense allowing just 7.8 points per game.

Indiana's Offense

The Hoosiers have been a scoring machine all season, putting up 532 points while allowing just 131. Indiana leads the Big Ten and ranks No. 9 nationally in rushing offense at 229.8 yards per game. Running backs Roman Hemby (866 yards, 5.3 yards per carry, six touchdowns), Kaelon Black (729 yards, 5.7 yards per carry, seven touchdowns), and Khobie Martin (453 yards, 6.6 yards per carry, six touchdowns) form a three-headed monster in the backfield.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has emerged as the Heisman Trophy frontrunner with a historic season: 2,758 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. Those 32 touchdown passes set a new Indiana single-season record. He's also added 243 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

On the outside, wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is Indiana's leading pass-catcher with 58 receptions for 804 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 13.9 yards per reception. Elijah Sarrett has also tallied 11 touchdowns among his 48 catches for 650 yards.

Indiana's Defense

While their offense steals the headlines, the Hoosiers quietly have had one of the most dominant defensive units in college football. Indiana is second in the country in both points allowed per game (10.9) and rushing yards per contest (79.3), and the unit is fourth in total defense (251.8 yards per game).

Indiana has surrendered double-digit point totals in six of its 12 games, with 20 by then-No. 3 Oregon and 24 by Penn State as the highest figures.

Ohio State's Offense

Redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin has been remarkably efficient. Sayin leads the nation with a 78.9% completion rate and has thrown for 3,065 yards, 30 touchdowns, and just five interceptions.

True freshman running back Bo Jackson has been the Buckeyes' bell cow, rushing for 952 yards on 6.3 yards per carry and five touchdowns.

Sophomore receiver Jeremiah Smith continues to dominate, recording 72 receptions for 942 yards (13.1 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns on the season.

The offensive line has been equally dominant, allowing only six sacks this season, ranking No. 2 nationally.

Ohio State's Defense

The Buckeyes possess the nation's most dominant defensive unit. Ohio State ranks first in total defense, allowing just 203.0 yards per game, and first in points allowed per game.

Ohio State's run defense ranks No. 4 nationally, allowing just 81.7 rushing yards per game and conceding only four rushing touchdowns all season. The Buckeyes also boast the nation's top coverage unit, allowing just 121.4 passing yards per game and five touchdowns while snagging seven interceptions.

Perhaps most impressive: only four teams have managed to score double-digits against the Buckeyes, and none scored more than 16.

Five Matchups That Will Decide the Big Ten Champion

1. Indiana's Run Game vs. Ohio State's Run Defense

This is the ultimate strength vs. strength matchup. Indiana hasn't faced a run defense as stubborn as Ohio State's this season, and Ohio State hasn't seen a run offense as prolific as Indiana's.

In wins over Iowa (112.4 rushing yards allowed per game), Oregon (107.3), and Wisconsin (105.3) — the three toughest run defenses the Hoosiers faced in the regular season — IU rushed for 104 yards (2.7 yards per carry), 111 yards (3.0), and 83 yards (2.2).

When the two teams met last season, the Buckeyes overwhelmingly won the rushing battle as the Hoosiers were limited to just 85 yards on the ground, but quarterback Kurtis O'Rourke was sacked five times and punter James Evans took a 23-yard loss to skew the numbers. Running backs Ty Son Lawson and Justice Ellison combined for 141 yards on 32 carries (4.4 yards per carry), with Lawson scoring both of Indiana's touchdowns in the 38-15 defeat.

On Saturday, Indiana will need Hemby, Black, and Martin at their best, and it all starts with the offensive line.

2. D'Angelo Ponds vs. Jeremiah Smith

Two superstars who played at the same high school — Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Fla. — will go head-to-head with a Big Ten title on the line.

The last time Indiana and Ohio State met, Ponds limited Smith to a season-low three catches for 34 yards. That performance put Ponds on the national radar. Now, on an even bigger stage, the All-American cornerback gets his rematch against the country's best receiver.

3. Indiana's Pass Rush vs. Ohio State's Protection

Indiana simply has to make Julian Sayin feel uncomfortable if the Hoosiers' defense is going to be successful. But that's much easier said than done against an Ohio State offensive line that's allowed only six sacks this season.

Indiana defensive end Stephen Daley is tied for first in the country in tackles for loss (18). All-American Mikail Kamara leads the conference in pressures according to Pro Football Focus. Linebackers Aiden Fisher, Rolijah Hardy, and Isaiah Jones form the most disruptive linebacker trio in the Big Ten.

Last season under similar circumstances, the Hoosiers' pass rush struggled against the Buckeyes with only one sack and four tackles for loss. Those havoc numbers must improve.

4. Omar Cooper Jr. vs. Lorenzo Styles Jr./Caleb Downs

Cooper's game-winning, toe-tapping touchdown catch at Penn State turned him into a household name across America. Now he faces arguably his toughest coverage assignment yet against Ohio State's elite secondary defenders.

Styles and Downs have combined for 80 tackles this season and are revered as two of the best secondary defenders in the nation.

5. Mike Shanahan vs. Matt Patricia

Two of the very best coordinators in the country will attempt to out-scheme each other: Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

Shanahan has IU on pace to finish top-three nationally in scoring offense for a second straight season. Patricia, the former Detroit Lions head coach and longtime New England Patriots defensive coordinator, has Ohio State leading the nation in total defense and points allowed per game in his first year with the Buckeyes. For what it's worth, last year's national champion Buckeyes led the country in total defense (254.6 yards per game) and points allowed per game (12.9), meaning they're statistically better in 2025.

What's at Stake

Both teams are essentially guaranteed first-round byes in the College Football Playoff, but the winner will likely earn the No. 1 overall seed.

For Indiana, it's about more than seeding. A win would give the Hoosiers their first outright Big Ten title since 1945, validate one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history, and end a 36-year drought against Ohio State.

Is this the year Indiana finally breaks through against Ohio State? Saturday night in Indianapolis, we find out.

The Bottom Line

Ohio State has more blue-chip talent and the statistical edge on defense. But Indiana has proven all season that it belongs with the nation's elite. The Hoosiers knocked off Oregon at Autzen Stadium, rallied to beat Penn State in Happy Valley, and dominated every team that was supposed to expose them.

The Buckeyes are favored, but don't tell that to Curt Cignetti's team. They've been doubted before.

December 6. Lucas Oil Stadium. Two undefeated teams. One Big Ten Championship.

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