Indiana Can Shock Oregon on the Road in Week 7

Heading into the 2025 season, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the college football world that thought Indiana was going to have a chance in its Week 7 road matchup at Oregon.

Sure, the Hoosiers made the College Football Playoff last year, but they disappointed in each of their outings against ranked opponents. (They lost by a combined 33 in losses to Ohio State and Notre Dame.)

Indiana has impressed through five games

Sep 27, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Due to that, many thought 2024 was an anomaly, stating that Indiana was simply the beneficiary of a light Big Ten schedule. Then, four weeks into the 2025 season, Indiana blasted then-No. 9 Illinois 63-10.

Especially considering the Illini have rattled off two straight wins in the time since – including a huge victory over USC – there isn’t a soul in college football saying the Hoosiers aren’t legit.

In case anyone needed more convincing, Indiana also added a 20-15 win at Iowa in Week 5 for good measure. Now, the seventh-ranked Hoosiers head to Eugene for that matchup with the Ducks – who are tabbed as the No. 3 team in the country.

So, can Indiana knock off Dan Lanning and Oregon – and get the biggest win of Curt Cignetti’s tenure? Yes, and here’s how:

How Indiana can upset Oregon

Indiana's Isaiah Jones (46) sacks Illinois' Luke Altmeyer (9) during the Indiana versus Illinois football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Few teams in the country have been more dominant in their pass-rushing attack than Indiana. In fact, the Hoosiers’ 3.2 sacks per game ranks eighth in the entire FBS.

Highest sack %, FBS defenses (sacks per dropback faced):

1) Oklahoma: 15.4%
2) JMU: 13.8%
3) Ohio State: 13.5%
4) Minnesota: 13.0%
5) WMU: 12.8%
6) Indiana: 12.7%
7) Louisville: 12.2%
8) UTEP: 11.5%
9) Tennessee: 10.9%
10) Auburn: 10.8%
10) Texas A&M: 10.8%
10) Maryland: 10.8% pic.twitter.com/550dJP3olM
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) October 2, 2025

Linebacker Isaiah Jones has already totaled 3.5 sacks himself, while defensive linemen Mario Landino and Tyrique Tucker have chipped in 3.0 apiece.

As a team, Indiana managed a mind-boggling seven sacks in the Illinois game alone. (Worth noting, the Illini have given up just three sacks in their last two games.)

This breakdown will be fun for Hoosiers fans 📽️ @Jbooty88 shows on tape how @IndianaFootball dismantled Illinois.

📍 Cliffs Film Room pic.twitter.com/LzYPd1a1qG
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 24, 2025

But the Hoosiers also haven’t seen an offensive line that operates at the level of the Ducks – or a quarterback as evasive as Oregon’s Dante Moore.

Through five games, Oregon’s stout offensive line has allowed its quarterback to be sacked just once – and, notably, kept Moore’s jersey entirely clean against then-No. 3 Penn State.

In reality, Indiana isn’t going to dominate Oregon’s O-line, but if the Hoosiers’ pass-rush attack can do just enough to disrupt Moore’s rhythm, force him out of the pocket, or to at least move around within it, and not allow him to fully set his feet for every throw, then the visitors may just have a chance.

Now, if Indiana can actually manage to get a couple of sacks, and put Oregon in second- or third-and-longs, a situation the Ducks offense has minimal experience with, then Cignetti’s club very well may leave Eugene with its zero in the loss column still intact.