Ohio State Players Claim Hypothetical Win Over Indiana Football

Ohio State and Indiana matched up in one of the most highly anticipated games of the 2025-26 college football season as the nation's No. 1 and 2 teams, respectively.

In a defense-first thriller that included missed field goals from both kickers and interceptions from both quarterbacks, Indiana came out with a 13-10 Big Ten Championship victory on Dec. 6. Coach Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers then went on to dominate No. 9 Alabama and No. 5 Oregon in the College Football Playoff before winning a nail-biter over No. 10 Miami in the National Championship.

As a result, Indiana was crowned undefeated champions with a 16-0 record, the first team to do so in the modern FBS era. It was certainly no fluke, either. The Hoosiers finished the year No. 1 scoring margin, turnover margin, overall efficiency, strength of record and FPI, while ranking top four in scoring offense and defense.

They had the Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, along with five other AP All-Americans: Carter Smith, D'Angelo Ponds, Louis Moore, Tyrique Tucker and Aiden Fisher. Cignetti cemented himself as an all-time great coach, winning several national coach of the year awards in back-to-back seasons and engineering an incredible turnaround at a program that went 9-27 in three seasons prior to his arrival.

However, some still believe they could defeat Indiana. In a recent episode of "Downs 2 Business," Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs asked his brother, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, if they would beat the 16-0 Hoosiers in a rematch.

"Yes," Caleb Downs and Tate said confidently with a laugh.

“If y’all had another shot at Indiana would y’all win?”

Caleb Down and Carnell Tate: “Yes” pic.twitter.com/dd2fEhrUO8
— Woody (@woodyVSworld) January 28, 2026

Caleb Downs went on to give Indiana some respect. He gave a shoutout to wide receiver Charlie Becker, who hauled in six catches for 126 yards, including a key third-down reception, against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.

"I will say, 80, [Charlie] Becker, he's tough." Downs said. "He's literally Alec Pierce 2.0."

"I thought they were gonna beat Miami," Downs added. "Based on our game and how they played us, I thought [Indiana] was gonna win. I thought Miami's o-line and d-line would have to really just dominate for them to win that game. And the d-line did ... but Indiana's defensive front was playing good enough to win the game."

Downs and Tate won't get another chance against Indiana, though, as both players have declared for the NFL Draft. Downs won the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back, and he's projected to be the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, according to ESPN's Matt Miller. Tate was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's top wide receiver, and Miller projects him to go fifth overall in the draft.

Indiana Moves Up NCAA Tournament Projections, NET Rankings After UCLA Win

How To Watch Indiana vs USC Basketball

Where Every Indiana Football Transfer Departure Ended Up

3 Stats That Display Indiana's Dominance During National Championship Run