Kirk Herbstreit is taking Indiana over Ohio State in 2026, and he says the biggest reason is simple: the Buckeyes have to come to Bloomington.
On a recent edition of “Nonstop” with fellow ESPN analyst and former Buckeye teammate Joey Galloway, Herbstreit laid out his pick for the Big Ten and landed on the Hoosiers repeating as conference champions. The Oct. 17 showdown between IU and Ohio State is the one he’s circling, especially with Indiana riding a nation’s best 15-game home winning streak.
“I think Indiana wins the Big Ten, and I think it has a lot to do with getting Ohio State at home,” Herbstreit said. “I don’t think there’s going to be a significant drop-off from this team. I think Curt Cignetti’s not just an outstanding coach, but I think he may have the best tandem of coordinators in the entire country.”
That’s a sharp turn from Herbstreit’s stance after Indiana’s first-round loss in the 2024 College Football Playoff. Following the Hoosiers’ 27-17 defeat to Notre Dame in South Bend, he famously said IU was “not a team that should have been on that field.”
Indiana answered in 2025 with a 16-0 national championship season, and Herbstreit now sees that team as proof the Hoosiers belonged all along. He also pointed to the continuity Cignetti has kept on staff, with defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan both staying in Bloomington after IU went 27-2 over the last two seasons.
Herbstreit noted that both assistants have received multiple raises to remain with the program, giving Indiana a steady core around Cignetti.
At quarterback, Indiana will have to move on from Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, but Herbstreit likes the player expected to step in. He said Josh Hoover is ready for the job.
“I think Hoover is, I don’t want to say underrated,” Herbstreit said. “I’ve watched this kid play a lot at TCU.
A lot of people talk about the turnovers. I don’t think he’ll be put in a position to turn the ball over as much as he did when he was down at TCU.
“So, Ohio State may be more talented, especially with the offensive skill, but I think Indiana has just as much talent as they had a year ago.”
Herbstreit also projected Indiana as a repeat No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. He did not, however, pick the Hoosiers to win it all again. That prediction went to Notre Dame.
Still, after all the noise around IU a year ago, Herbstreit’s latest view says plenty: Indiana belongs in the conversation.
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