Conference Championship Weekend ahead of the College Football Playoff wrapped up on Saturday night with the Big Ten Championship Game. In a battle for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers showcased why they've been the two best college football teams in 2025.
Let's dive into the Big Ten Championship Game results, examining the winners and losers from Indiana versus Ohio State as Indiana wins its first Big Ten title and clinches the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
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He certainly didn't have the best stats in college football this season, but the Big Ten Championship Game served as another reminder that Jeremiah Smith is the best wide receiver outside of the NFL. Entering Saturday night, the Hoosiers defense came in 14th nationally in passing defense ( 172.5 passing yards per game ). Smith put up 103 yards in three quarters, becoming the first receiver to put up 100 receiving yards against Indiana this season. Smith was an NFL talent last year, but Ohio State gets to enjoy him for another season.
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Ohio State had never trailed in the fourth quarter of a game this season until tonight. Some will blame Julian Sayin not performing like a Heisman-caliber quarterback, but similar to the SEC Championship Game, it was the offensive line that was the real problem. The Buckeyes offensive line allowed 7 QB hits, 5 sacks and double-digit pressures in the Big Ten Championship, forcing Sayin to go down for costly yards lost or bail out of the pocket and scramble for his life before throwing the football away. Not only that, the strong performance on the ground by Bo Jackson was largely created by his ability to make great reads and get the first defender to miss. Ohio State's front five picked the worst time to have a season-worst performance.
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With so much focus on the quarterbacks coming into the Big Ten Championship Game, it was the running backs who stood out. We have to highlight the work done out of the backfield by Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, especially given the matchup. Across 12 games this season, the Buckeyes defense had allowed just 81.7 rushing yards per game (fourth in Power 4) with a 2.8 yards-per-carry average (third in Power 4). Black (69 rushing yards and 4.3 ypc) and Hemby (52 yards and 4.0 ypc) combined for 121 yards, with Black providing the explosive runs and Hemby often picking up critical chunks of yards.
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Some might have wondered why Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day opted to go for it on 4th-and-1 at the Hoosiers' 5-yard line in a three-point game late in the third quarter. It looked like an even worse call, in hindsight, after Ohio State couldn't gain a yard on the quarterback sneak. Then, placekicker Jayden Fielding demonstrated on the following drive why Day went for it. Following a methodical 15-play, 81-yard drive that ate up 8 minutes of clock in the fourth quarter, Fielding was set up for a 27-yard field goal to tie it with 2:48 left. Inexplicably, he shanked it wide left of the post. College kickers, ladies and gentlemen.
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On the same field as Jeremiah Smith (future top-five pick) and Carnell Tate (top-15 pick in 2026 NFL Draft), it was Hoosiers wide receiver Charlie Becker who stole the show. Formerly a 247Sports three-star recruit, rated as the 80th-best receiver prospect in the nation, Becker absolutely torched the Buckeyes secondary. The longest reception was the 51-yard snag, pulling it in through contact, that set up the go-ahead touchdown. He wasn't done. Becker created even more separation on the Hoosiers' final drive, hauling in the catch downfield for a 33-yard gain on a game-deciding 3rd-and-6. Becker, Black and Hemby were Indiana's unsung offensive heroes in the Big Ten Championship Game.
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There will be a few narratives surrounding Ohio State coming out of this game. Among them, the Buckeyes were more focused on preparing for the College Football Playoff than they were the Big Ten Championship Game and that the team had a let-down game after finally beating Michigan. Both are an indictment of head coach Ryan Day. We're not doubting that Ohio State can rebound from this and go on to repeat as national champions. However, having these massive let-down games in back-to-back years and seemingly having the team ill-prepared for a game that could have delivered an undefeated season for the program is Day's fault.
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It didn't look good early for Fernando Mendoza. He finished the first quarter completing just 3-of-8 passes for 30 yards (3.75 yards per attempt), with an interception that set up a Buckeyes' touchdown. From then on, Indiana's Heisman-worthy quarterback locked in. Mendoza finished the final three quarters completing 12-of-15 passes (80 percent completion rate) for 192 passing yards (12.8 ypa) and a score. Just as crucial, he delivered two precision strikes to Charlie Becker to lead to the go-ahead touchdown and later the dagger driven into Ohio State's Big Ten title hopes.
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