Can you believe it? The Indiana Hoosiers just won the Big Ten Championship Game and they've locked in the No. 1 seed for the College Football Playoff. If this feels like a dream for Hoosiers fans, it's because they probably never saw this coming.
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However, Curt Cignetti and Fernando Mendoza have powered this team to do the unthinkable. Right after the Hoosiers posted the improbable 13-10 win over the Buckeyes, Mendoza did an on-field interview with Jenny Taft and he was overcome with emotion. Can you blame him? Absolutely not.
"It sounds so beautiful," Mendoza said right after the win. "I want to give all the glory to God. We were never supposed to be in this position, but by the glory of God, the great coaches, great teammates, and everybody we have around us, we were able to pull this off. Who ever thought the Hoosiers would be here? But now the Hoosiers are flipping champs. Let's go!"
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Those are some strong words from Mendoza and the tears in his eyes were pretty great to see. This moment clearly meant the world to him and his teammates. It sure wasn't easy, as Ohio State looked like it was potentially going to take the lead twice in the second half.
With Indiana clinging to a 13-10 lead, Ohio State was facing 4th-and-1, but a Julian Sayin QB sneak was short - that happened late in the third quarter. Then in the fourth quarter, Ohio State once again couldn't get a yard in the red zone and it had to settle for a short field goal try by Jayden Fielding. That attempt sailed wide.
Ohio State was hoping to get the ball back with enough time on the clock to try and steal the conference title away, but Mendoza tossed a DIME to Charlie Becker. The Buckeyes got the ball back with 19 seconds left on the clock, but there was no late miracle. Indiana is the 2025 Big Ten title champion and next up is the CFP.