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Indiana is the No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time after going through the regular season and Big Ten championship game 13-0, ending Ohio State's 14-week run atop the rankings. The Hoosiers' 13-10 win over the Buckeyes in Indianapolis on Saturday night made them the unanimous pick for No. 1 as they looked ahead to top seeding for their second straight appearance in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Georgia, which beat Alabama by three touchdowns in the Southeastern Conference title game, moved up one spot to No. 2 for its highest ranking of the season. Ohio State, the defending national champion, slipped two spots to No. 3.

Texas Tech, a 27-point winner over BYU in the Big 12 championship game, also has its highest ranking of the season after rising one rung to No. 4. Oregon was No. 5 and followed by Mississippi, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Miami. Miami moved up two spots and returned to the top 10 for the first time since mid-October. Alabama and BYU each dropped one spot, to Nos. 11 and 12. Among Group of Five teams, American Conference champion Tulane jumped four spots to No. 17 for its highest ranking in two years. Sun Belt Conference champion James Madison remained No. 19. The final AP Top 25 will be released Jan. 20, the day after the national championship game. - AP College Football

(DS#10 WR) So/2028

WR Charlie Becker, Indiana
News Source: AP College Football
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12/06/25 - Fernando Mendoza, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 225 (DS#1 QB) + More +

Fernando Mendoza's 17-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt gave No. 2 Indiana the lead midway through the third quarter and the Hoosiers' stingy defense shut down No. 1 Ohio State the rest of the way in a 13-10 victory on Saturday night for their first Big Ten championship since 1967. Indiana likely locked up the top seed in the College Football Playoff while extending the best record in school history to 13-0. The Hoosiers are also now poised to claim the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time. They did it by snapping a 30-game losing streak against the Buckeyes that stretched to 1988. Indiana also ended major college football's longest winning streak at 16 games, sealing the win with a 33-yard pass from Mendoza to Charlie Becker on third down, a play that took the clock down to the 2-minute timeout. Ohio State fell to 12-1 overall though its quest to win back-to-back national championships for the first time will likely begin with the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.

The Buckeyes had a chance to retake the lead on fourth-and-1 from the Indiana 5-yard line late in the third quarter. But a replay review overturned the call on the field, determining Julian Sayin came up short. They also had a chance to tie the score with 2:48 to play, but Jayden Fielding missed a 29-yard field goal wide left. The two quarterbacks dueling for the Heisman Trophy essentially played to a draw. Mendoza was injured on the first offensive play of the game but returned after missing one play and finished 15 of 23 for 222 yards and the one TD and one interception. Sayin was 21 of 29 for 258 yards, one TD and one interception. But when the big plays needed to be made, Mendoza usually got the job done Indiana took a 3-0 lead after Sayin was picked off in the first quarter, but the Buckeyes turned Mendoza's miscue into a 17-yard TD pass to Carnell Tate for a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter. The teams traded second quarter field goals as the Buckeyes took a 10-6 lead, but Mendoza found neatly tucked a TD pass into Sarratt near the sideline on Indiana's first possession of the third quarter and that was all they needed. - Indiana/AP College Football

(DS#1 QB) rJr/2027

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
News Source: Indiana/AP College Football
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12/04/25 - Nico Radicic, rSo/2028, Indiana, 5-10, 187 (DS#4 K) + More +

2025 BIG TEN BAKKEN-ANDERSEN KICKER OF THE YEAR: Nico Radicic, Indiana,...Kicker Nico Radicic was named the Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year after leading the conference in scoring (109 points) and made PATs (70) during the regular season. He joins Griffin Oakes as the only Hoosiers to win the award, with Oakes doing so in 2015 and 2017. - Indiana Football

(DS#4 K) rSo/2028

K Nico Radicic, Indiana
News Source: Indiana Football
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12/04/25 - Carter Smith, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 313 (DS#3 OT) + More +

2025 BIG TEN RIMINGTON-PACE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Carter Smith, Indiana,...The Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year began in 1984 and Smith is the first Indiana offensive lineman to earn the award. He is also the first offensive to earn a first-team All-Big Ten since Don Schrader in 1987. He is the first offensive tackle to grab a first team spot since Charley Peal in 1977. - Indiana Football

(DS#3 OT) rJr/2027

OT Carter Smith, Indiana
News Source: Indiana Football
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12/04/25 - Fernando Mendoza, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 225 (DS#1 QB) + More +

2025 BIG TEN GRIESE-BREES QUARTERBACK OF THE YEAR: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana,...Mendoza was named the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year. He is the first to earn the conference's quarterback of the year honor since its inception in 2011. He is the fourth Hoosier to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and joins Anthony Thompson (1988 & 1989) and Antwaan Randle El (2001). Along with those honors, Mendoza was the first-team All-Big Ten quarterback and is just the seventh IU signal caller and first since Randle El in 2001 to earn first team honors. It is just the third time since 1950 a Hoosier took the first team spot at quarterback along with Randle EL and Harry Gonso (1967). - Indiana Football

(DS#1 QB) rJr/2027

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
News Source: Indiana Football
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11/28/25 - Roman Hemby, rSr/2026, Indiana, 6-0, 210 (DS#21 RB) + More +

Kaelon Black had two touchdown runs and Fernando Mendoza and Roman Hemby each ran for scores as No. 2 Indiana beat rival Purdue 56-3 on Friday night, completing the first perfect regular season in school history and securing a Big Ten championship game berth. The Hoosiers (12-0, 9-0, No. 2 CFP) also likely locked up a second straight College Football Playoff berth. They'll find out Saturday whether they'll play No. 1 Ohio State, No. 5 Oregon or No. 15 Michigan a week later for the conference title. Indiana celebrated by hoisting the Old Oaken Bucket in the series' 100th trophy game, while Curt Cignetti became the first Indiana coach since Bo McMillin in 1934-35 to win his first two matchups against Purdue.

Purdue (2-10, 0-9) endured more misery in the coldest game ever played at Ross-Ade Stadium, with a kickoff temperature of 24 degrees Fahrenheit. The Boilermakers closed coach Barry Odom's first season with a 10th straight loss and posted their second straight winless season in conference play, the first since 1919-20. It took the Hoosiers a quarter to adapt to the chilly conditions. Mendoza, who grew up in Miami and previously attended California, struggled. He went 8 of 15 for 117 yards and two TDs in less than three quarters. So the Hoosiers flipped the script. Black opened the scoring with a 1-yard run, Mendoza scooted 7 yards to make it 14-3 early in the second quarter, and Black spun away from a defender for a nimble 16-yard TD run with 3:40 to play in the first half. Hemby closed out the first-half scoring with an 82-yard TD run down Purdue's sideline, stiff-arming the only potential tackler who had a chance to catch him, for a 28-3 lead. The Hoosiers sealed it with Mendoza's two third-quarter TD passes - 17 yards to Elijah Sarratt and 43 yards to to Omar Cooper Jr. Hemby had 12 carries for a season-high 152 yards while Black ran 13 times for 66 yards. Indiana finished with 355 yards rushing, its second-highest total this season and sixth 300-yard game this season. Purdue's Ryan Browne was 25 of 47 for 238 yards and threw an interception on the second offensive play of the game. The Boilermakers had just 282 total yards. - Indiana/AP College Football

(DS#21 RB) rSr/2026

RB Roman Hemby, Indiana
News Source: Indiana/AP College Football
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11/19/25 - Fernando Mendoza, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 225 (DS#1 QB) + More +

WEEK 12 BIG TEN CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana, QB - Jr. - Miami, Fla. - Christopher Columbus,...Connected on 22-of-24 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns in the Hoosiers' win against Wisconsin...Led five total scoring drives, with four ending in passing scores and one in a field goal that gave IU a 10-3 lead entering halftime...Engineered a nine-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half and give IU a 10-point lead it would not relinquish...Helped Indiana win a program-record-tying 11th victory and finish the season undefeated at home and set an IU single-season mark for touchdown passes with his 30th of the season in the fourth quarter to Omar Cooper Jr...Last Indiana Offensive Player of the Week: Fernando Mendoza (Sept. 22, 2025). - Big Ten Football

(DS#1 QB) rJr/2027

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
News Source: Big Ten Football
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11/18/25 - Omar Cooper Jr., rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-0, 204 (DS#3 WR) + More +

WEEK 11 ASSOCIATED PRESS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK RUNNER-UP: Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. made the play of the season with his toe-tap catch in the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown in a 27-24 victory over Penn State. Fernando Mendoza, under heavy pressure, threw off his back foot and the well-covered Cooper came down with the ball, curling his right foot back and getting his left toe down just inside the end line. Cooper caught six balls for 32 yards in the game and leads the second-ranked and unbeaten Hoosiers with 52 catches for 701 yards and nine touchdowns. - AP College Football

(DS#3 WR) rJr/2027

WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
News Source: AP College Football
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11/15/25 - Fernando Mendoza, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 225 (DS#1 QB) + More +

Fernando Mendoza completed 91.7% of his passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns as No. 2 Indiana took another step toward clinching a spot in its first Big Ten title game and likely a second straight playoff berth with a 31-7 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday. Mendoza spent some time in the injury tent during the fourth quarter, but returned on the next Indiana series to throw his school-record-breaking 30th TD of the season - a 5-yarder to Omar Cooper Jr. Mendoza continued to make his Heisman Trophy case by going 22 of 24 despite being sacked five times. The Hoosiers (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 2 CFP) are undefeated through 11 games the first time in school history and have tied last season's record-setting victory total. They also improved to 15-0 at home - the longest winning streak in school history - in coach Curt Cignetti's two-year tenure.

Wisconsin (3-7, 1-6) has lost to five ranked teams this season but has not beaten a top-10 team on the road since 2019. Carter Smith became the first true freshman to start a game for the Badgers since 1991 and finished 9 of 15 with 98 yards, including a 45-yard TD pass to Lance Mason. He also had two turnovers and Wisconsin generated only 23 total yards in the second half. Indiana took control by closing the first half with a 37-yard field goal to make it 10-7 and opening the second half with a 2-yard TD pass from Mendoza to Holden Staes. The Hoosiers then converted a Badgers turnover into a 21-yard TD pass from Mendoza to Riley Nowakowski, the former Badger. Mendoza and Cooper closed it out with a fourth quarter scoring play for the second straight week. Wisconsin running back Gideon Ituka left the game on a cart, strapped to a backboard midway through the third quarter after taking two big hits on the same and then hitting his head hard on the playing surface. He gave a thumbs-up signal on his way off. The Badgers did not have an immediate update on Ituka's condition. - Indiana/AP College Football

(DS#1 QB) rJr/2027

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
News Source: Indiana/AP College Football
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11/09/25 - Fernando Mendoza, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 225 (DS#1 QB) + More +

The volatility and unpredictability of the 2025 college football season has rippled through the group of draft-eligible quarterbacks. ESPN repolled 25 NFL scouts and executives about who will be the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL draft, with the results drastically different from six weeks ago. In the latest poll, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza was the top vote-getter with 13 votes, putting him ahead of Oregon's Dante Moore (6) and Alabama's Ty Simpson (3). Notably, none of those quarterbacks received a vote in the first poll, and all have eligibility remaining.

The other three quarterbacks receiving votes were Oklahoma's John Mateer (1), Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby (1) and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers (1). Only Sellers and Mateer had votes in the first poll. "It's not a stellar class," one scout told ESPN. "If you add the maybes [who have eligibility and could leave school], now it gets interesting. The top is better than last year's class, for sure." The top of this year's crop has flipped from Sept. 20, when seven different quarterbacks received votes, with Sellers (8) edging out LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (7). Both players and their teams have struggled this season. Others receiving votes in the first QB1 poll were Miami's Carson Beck (3), Mateer (3), Penn State's Drew Allar (2), Arizona State's Sam Leavitt (1) and Texas' Arch Manning (1). The sentiment regarding the class has soured a bit since the initial polling. Along with the dip in play from Sellers and Nussmeier, Allar suffered a season-ending injury and Manning hasn't resembled anything close to what his family and recruiting pedigrees projected. While Mendoza is the top vote-getter, he has yet to establish himself as a no-brainer No. 1 overall pick. He is trending that way, but there is not yet conviction behind those projections. - Pete Thamel, ESPN College Football

(DS#1 QB) rJr/2027

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
News Source: Pete Thamel, ESPN College Football
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11/08/25 - Omar Cooper Jr., rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-0, 204 (DS#3 WR) + More +

Omar Cooper Jr. jumped to catch a pass from Fernando Mendoza in the back of the end zone, sweeping his inside foot within the field of play to go ahead of Penn State 27-24 with 36 seconds remaining and save No. 2 Indiana from its first loss of the season on Saturday. The downtrodden Nittany Lions, led by an interim coach and riding the school's longest losing streak in 21 years, almost denied the Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) their first Happy Valley win in school history. Penn State (3-6, 0-6) came back from down 13 points in the third quarter and was a couple of first downs away from the upset. Once the Nittany Lions were forced to punt, they couldn't respond with late-game heroics of their own in the little time the Hoosiers left them. A Hail Mary effort from midfield was unsuccessful. "It was the most improbable victory I have ever been a part of," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. "And there couldn't have been a better place to make it happen." The Hoosiers entered Happy Valley used to losing in the sprawling, 107,000-seat Beaver Stadium.

Before Saturday, the Nittany Lions owned a 25-2 edge head-to-head, winning all 13 games on their home field. "It's just a rocking crowd, when you hear that silence when you get hit when you throw, then you know it's a completion," said Mendoza, who was sacked three times, threw for 218 yards with one touchdown and an interception and also ran in a score. Penn State rallied to take the lead 24-20 in the fourth quarter when Ethan Grunkemeyer connected with Nicholas Singleton for a 19-yard score with 6:27 to play. Penn State punted to Indiana with 1:51 remaining, giving Mendoza the ball back at his own 20. He was sacked on first down, but recovered to hit receivers for 22, 12, 29 and 17 yards before finding Cooper at the back edge of the end zone. Afterward, a smiling Cooper called it the best catch of his career. Mendoza agreed. Kaelon Black scored a rushing touchdown and Nico Radicic kicked two field goals for the Hoosiers. Charlie Becker had seven receptions for 118 yards and Cooper finished with six receptions for 32 yards. Singleton added two rushing touchdowns for the Nittany Lions, who are playing under interim coach Terry Smith and have lost six in a row. - Indiana/AP College Football

(DS#3 WR) rJr/2027

WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
News Source: Indiana/AP College Football
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11/01/25 - Fernando Mendoza, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 225 (DS#1 QB) + More +

Fernando Mendoza threw for a touchdown and ran for one, and No. 2 Indiana remained undefeated with a 55-10 rout of Maryland on Saturday. Mendoza recovered from an early interception, and he also had to play most of the game without his top target. Star receiver Elijah Sarratt left in the first quarter with hamstring tightness, ending his nation-leading streak of 46 consecutive games with a catch. Still, this was another one-sided game for the Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten), who since winning at Oregon have added victories over Michigan State, UCLA and Maryland by a combined 120 points. Indiana outrushed Maryland 367-37. "It seemed like they wanted to take away our pass game, take away our RPO game," Mendoza said. "They gave a lot of depth on all the pass concepts we threw at them, and that opened up the run game." The Terrapins (4-4, 1-4) lost their fourth straight.

They had a chance to make it interesting early, intercepting Mendoza on the first drive and taking over at the Indiana 12-yard line. Maryland managed only a field goal out of that, and after forcing a three-and-out and again getting the ball in Hoosiers territory, the Terps failed to score at all. "The defense has all year long risen to the occasion when their backs are against the wall," Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said. "It wasn't perfect tonight defensively, trust me. Open-field tackling wasn't very good, they had some explosive plays. But there's a lot of good things that are on tape." Mendoza scored on a 7-yard run before the first quarter was over, and his 22-yard scoring pass to Omar Cooper Jr. made it 17-3. It was 20-3 at halftime. - Indiana/AP College Football

(DS#1 QB) rJr/2027

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
News Source: Indiana/AP College Football
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10/26/25 - Fernando Mendoza, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 225 (DS#1 QB) + More +

Fernando Mendoza had the stadium chanting "Heismendoza" Saturday as the Indiana quarterback threw for three touchdowns and ran one in to score, leading the Hoosiers to a 56-6 win over UCLA. Mendoza's 24 passing touchdowns tie him for first in the FBS. His odds of winning the most prestigious award in college football have skyrocketed throughout the season, improving from +5500 to +350, tied with Alabama's Ty Simpson. - AP College Football

(DS#1 QB) rJr/2027

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
News Source: AP College Football
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10/25/25 - Aiden Fisher, Sr/2026, Indiana, 6-1, 231 (DS#5 ILB) + More +

Aiden Fisher intercepted the first pass of the game and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown and the Mendoza brothers - Fernando and Alberto - each ran for scores as No. 2 Indiana routed UCLA 56-6 on Saturday. The Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) extended their school-record home winning streak to 14, protected the highest ranking in school history for the second straight week and now open a second straight November with a perfect record. Fernando Mendoza was 15 of 22 for 168 yards, three TDs and one interception before leaving late in the third quarter as he was serenaded again with chants of "Heismendoza" from the student section. Roman Hemby finished with 17 carries, 81 yards and two scores while Kaelon Black rushed 10 times for 70 yards.

E.J. Williams Jr. had five catches for 109 yards and two scores as Indiana outgained UCLA 475-201 in total yards. The Bruins (3-5, 3-2) saw their three-game winning streak snapped as Nico Iamaleava went 13 of 27 for 113 yards and two interceptions. He ran seven times for 28 yards. UCLA never recovered from its poor start. After Fisher's interception 57 seconds into the game, the Hoosiers pulled away on Hemby's 1-yard TD run late in the first quarter and a second-quarter flurry that began with Elijah Sarratt's 1-yard TD catch, continued with Hemby's 13-yard run and ended with Williams' 2-yard TD catch to make it 35-3. Indiana sealed it with Fernando Mendoza's nifty 20-yard scoring run, Williams' 62-yard catch and Alberto Mendoza's 4-yard run early in the fourth. - Indiana/AP College Football

(DS#5 ILB) Sr/2026

ILB Aiden Fisher, Indiana
News Source: Indiana/AP College Football
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10/18/25 - Fernando Mendoza, rJr/2027, Indiana, 6-5, 225 (DS#1 QB) + More +

Fernando Mendoza completed 24 of 28 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns and No. 3 Indiana celebrated its highest ranking in program history with a 38-13 rout of Michigan State on Saturday. The Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten), who have won all but one game by double digits, kept pace with No. 1 Ohio State atop the conference standings with touchdowns on their first five possessions. Mendoza threw a pair of TD passes to Elijah Sarratt, and also hit E.J. Williams Jr. and Omar Cooper Jr. for scores. "This is the sharpest we've seen him up to this point in a game," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said of Mendoza. "And he continues to improve. He continues to prepare like nobody I've ever been around. He's getting better and better." Sarratt's first touchdown on a 24-yard play put Indiana ahead 14-10 in the second quarter. His 27-yard TD reception gave the Hoosiers a 35-10 lead in the third quarter.

Mendoza praised a shirtless, towel-waving student section for pushing his candidacy for the Heisman Trophy. "That was fantastic to see that. What a great sight to see," he said. "We do have a lot of season left. We have so many great players on our team. Whatever spotlight that I might get for the offensive success, I try to dish it out to my teammates." Mendoza, a redshirt junior transfer, has 21 TD passes and just two interceptions this season. "He keeps building on his previous performances," Cignetti said. "I can't say enough good things about him." Cooper finished with eight receptions for 115 yards. Kaelon Black added a 29-yard TD rush. Cignetti was concerned about how his Hoosiers would respond after last week's 30-20 win at then-No. 2 Oregon. "Look, you can't be a real nice guy when you have a job like mine," he said. "Human nature after a win against Oregon is to be happy and relax, the support staff, coaches, players, trainers. So my job is to make sure they've got the right mindset and are ready to play...We've got to get better from this last game because the challenges are going to get tougher down the road." - Indiana/AP College Football

(DS#1 QB) rJr/2027

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
News Source: Indiana/AP College Football
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