Indiana remains No. 2 in college football rankings after a narrow victory against Penn State, with quarterback Fernando Mendoza securing a late-game touchdown. The team faces Wisconsin and Purdue next,

Indiana controls their own destiny to Big Ten championship originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Indiana’s hot start to the season set the team apart as a national championship contender, but the 5-0-1 nonconference record was followed by a 3-3-0 conference record. After losing two straight against No. 1 Maryland on Oct. 24 and Northwestern on Oct. 31, the Hoosiers were down entering Friday.

Two top contenders needed late-game heroics to pull off victories, while an upset loss ended another ranked team’s playoff hopes. Undefeated Ohio State and Indiana seem to be on a collision course to meet in the Big Ten championship game but three other teams remain in the CFP hunt.

Indiana remained undefeated on the season following its 27-24 victory over Penn State when QB Fernando Mendoza — now a Heisman favorite — hit Omar Cooper Jr. for the game-winning score with 36 seconds left to play.

Milwaukee makes its way to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for this matchup with Indiana.

The loss to the Wolverines gave Indiana a tough matchup in the quarterfinals. The No. 18 Hoosiers will play third-seeded No. 9 Iowa (12-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) at 5 p.m. Thursday. Indiana will have a home crowd behind it at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington, but the Hawkeyes won both matchups this season.

Ahead of the start of the Big Ten Tournament, the Big Ten Conference announced their 2025 Postseason Awards on Wednesday.