Indiana football is coming off of a nail biter and the closes game of their 10-0 season, beating the Penn State Nittany Lions by three points. That victory comes thanks to an amazing touchdown catch from junior wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. late in the fourth quarter from Heisman front-runner Fernando Mendoza. Will the Hoosiers go back to dominating teams or have to pull out another close one this weekend?
On Indiana's opponents, the Wisconsin Badgers have been on a "down year" coming into the game at 3-6 on the season but Curt Cignetti still respects the Badgers.
"“They're a tough, gritty football team, they've had a murderer's row schedule: Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Iowa, Washington, Alabama, you name it.” "Curt Cignetti
Wisconsin comes into the ball game riding high momentum into this Week 12 matchup, having just upset the No. 24 Washington Huskies in Madison for their first Power Four win in over a calendar year. The shocking 13-10 win followed news that head coach Luke Fickell would be returning for the 2026 season has Badgers fans believing in that Wisconsin football can close the season strong and maybe even pull off a miracle and upset No. 2 Indiana on the road.
Entering the matchup with Indiana who has the most balanced offense and the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, Wisconsin ranks second-worst in total yards per game (255.6), while Indiana's is No. 1 with (487.0). The Badgers are still rugged and tough on the defensive side of the ball, ranking 41st in the FBS with 331.0 total yards per game. While Indiana's defense is no slouch either. The Hoosiers are No. 5 in total yards giving up 257.1 per game and second in FBS only allowing 12.1 per contest.
Indiana also enters Saturday's matchup with heavy emotions, which of course include their win over Penn State on the road and the fact that it is the final home game for 28 seniors on the Hoosiers roster as it's Senior Day.
The featured players who will be honored are headlined by: linebacker Aiden Fisher, defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, running back Kaelon Black and wide reciever Elijah Sarratt followed head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana.
“We’ve got to continue to build off of the things that we’ve done. You know, it’s a week in, week out, you know, opportunity for us. And there are some things that, you know, I think we’ve done a really good job of defensively. I think we’ve been more disciplined in what we’ve done. Cignetti told the Daily Hoosier
How to watch Indiana vs. Wisconsin
- Who: No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (3-6, 1-5)
- What: Indiana's final regular season home game.
- When: Noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 15
- Where: Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium (56, 526) in Bloomington, Ind.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- TV announcers: Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Jake Butt (color), Brooke Fletcher (sideline)
Betting odds:
Indiana is a 29.5-point favorite over Wisconsin, and the over/under is 44.5 points. Indiana is a -6500 favorite on the moneyline, while Wisconsin's moneyline odds are +2000, according to the Draft Kings Sportsbook on Thursday
Other notable news and notes:
- Weather: According to weather.com, it will be around 68 degrees and cloudy with a 9% chance of rain and southwest winds at 14 mph Saturday at Noon ET in Bloomington, Indiana.
- Recent results: Indiana won 55-10 at Maryland on Nov. 1, and then won 27-24 at Penn State on Nov. 8. Wisconsin lost 21-7 at No. 6 Oregon on Oct. 25, and then won 13-10 at home against No. 23 Washington on Nov. 8th.
- Series history: Wisconsin leads the all-time series 41-20-2, while Indiana has won the last two games under former head coach Tom Allen and current head coach Curt Cignetti last season. Wisconsin leads the all-time series 18-10-1 in Bloomington.
Prediction:
Indiana's defense control the whole tempo and ball game. Defensively, the Hoosiers continue to limit teams explosive plays and excel in third-down situations. Rolijah Hardy and Aiden Fisher headline a linebacker core that has improved weekly and is on par with Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State as the best in the nation.
While the Hoosiers aren’t sneaking up on anyone anymore, their preparation and depth have allowed them to dominate week in and week out. Not to mention they have the better offense led by Fernando Mendoza. IU wins big again... 45-13