Indiana lost its first game in nearly two years, falling to Ohio State on October 17, 2026. The discussion is patient on the Hoosiers reaching the playoff but unanimous that they are not a championship team without Fernando Mendoza, pointing to a stagnant offense and a defense that held Jeremiah Smith to four catches for 68 yards. Smith had needed two receiving touchdowns to pass Braylon Edwards for the Big Ten record, and the loss kept him short of it. Elsewhere, Sam Leavitt is expected to miss a couple of weeks with elbow and shoulder injuries.