Big Ten Title Game Preview: Indiana’s “Misfits” Take Aim at Ohio State’s Star Power
As Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher watches Ohio State tape, he sees what everyone sees: a team loaded with blue-chip talent. The Buckeyes are stacked - NFL-bound receivers, a Heisman-caliber quarterback, a dominant offensive line, and a defense that could send half a dozen players to the early rounds of the NFL Draft.
It’s a roster built to win national championships. And it already has.
But Fisher and the rest of the Indiana Hoosiers aren’t blinking. In fact, they’re embracing the contrast.
Fisher, a former zero-star recruit with just one FBS offer, is now the heartbeat of a defense that ranks second in the nation in scoring. This Saturday, he’ll lead No. 2 Indiana into the Big Ten Championship Game against the defending national champs - a program with decades of dominance - while Indiana is chasing its first conference title since 1967.
This is more than a title game. It’s a collision between college football royalty and a team that’s rewritten its own script in just two seasons.
The Rise of the “Misfits”
Indiana’s players have leaned into the underdog label, calling themselves “misfits” - not out of self-pity, but as a badge of pride. They’ve shattered expectations, broken school records, and turned a program long known for losses into a legitimate national title contender.
“We just want to win,” Fisher said after Indiana’s 56-3 demolition of Purdue. “It doesn’t matter how you do it, doesn’t matter what your role is. You get your role, you expand it, you embrace it - and that’s what makes us special.”
Special doesn’t even begin to cover it. Indiana has posted back-to-back record-setting seasons, gone undefeated in the regular season for the first time ever, and knocked off some of the Big Ten’s biggest names along the way. They’re not just showing up - they’re showing out.
And they’ve done it with a roster full of players who weren’t supposed to be here.
From Overlooked to Overachievers
Take Fisher and All-American defensive end Mikail Kamara - both zero-star recruits who followed head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana. They weren’t on anyone’s radar two years ago. Now, they’re leading one of the nastiest defenses in the country.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza? His first scholarship offer came from Yale.
He started his career at Cal, then transferred to Indiana to develop under Cignetti. Now, he leads the nation with 32 touchdown passes, ranks second in passing efficiency, and is firmly in the Heisman conversation.
Starting center Pat Coogan came from Notre Dame, where he was on the verge of losing his starting job after helping the Irish reach the national title game. He joined Indiana for a fresh start - and ended up giving the pregame speech that captured the Hoosiers’ identity.
“Pat gave us a really motivating speech,” Mendoza said. “He’s like, ‘Look at us - a bunch of misfits, guys from the FCS, the Group of Five, transfers, guys who got replaced at their old schools - and now we have a chance to be 12-0.’”
They didn’t just have a chance. They did it.
The Buckeyes Bring the Firepower
But Saturday’s matchup is a different kind of test. Ohio State is no stranger to this stage. This is their first Big Ten title game appearance since 2020, and they’ve reloaded in a big way.
Quarterback Julian Sayin, the No. 1 QB in the 2024 recruiting class, has lived up to the hype and then some.
He leads the nation in both passing efficiency and completion percentage - and he’s doing it in his first year as a starter. He’s also squarely in the Heisman race.
Sayin’s top target? That would be Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 overall recruit in the same class.
His highlight reel is already the stuff of legend, and his numbers have sparked a Heisman push of their own. And if it’s not Smith making plays, it’s Carnell Tate or Bo Jackson - yes, that Bo Jackson, a running back who’s already turning heads with his freakish athleticism.
“Bo is one of the most talented running backs I’ve ever seen at that age,” said guard Luke Montgomery, Ohio’s top recruit in 2022. “He’s a gifted athlete, and I don’t think he even knows yet just how good he can be.”
Defensively, the Buckeyes are just as loaded. All-American safety Caleb Downs - brother of Colts wideout Josh Downs - anchors the secondary, while defensive end Arvell Reese might be the first defensive player off the board in April. And with a former NFL head coach calling the shots on defense, Ohio State has the kind of structure and swagger that comes with years of championship pedigree.
The Underdogs Aren’t Intimidated
Still, Indiana isn’t backing down. Not with a defense that has held opponents in check all season.
Not with a quarterback playing the best football of his life. And not with a coach who’s built a winning culture from the ground up - twice.
Cignetti, now in his second year at Indiana, has never bought into the “misfits” label, even if his players have.
“I think that was Pat’s angle to kind of get everyone fired up,” Cignetti said. “I don’t view our team as a bunch of misfits at all.
We’ve got a lot of good football players who have proven themselves. They have high character, high intelligence, and they work hard.
There are a lot of people in the country who would love to have our guys.”
Even Ohio State head coach Ryan Day isn’t underestimating what Indiana has built.
“He’s been able to turn over his roster and bring in a lot of talent in a short period of time, which was really well done,” Day said of Cignetti. “You can tell they’re good evaluators of talent, and when you watch them play, they’re well-coached.”
Saturday’s Showdown
This one has all the makings of a classic. On one side, Ohio State - a team built on five-star talent and championship expectations. On the other, Indiana - a group of transfers, overlooked recruits, and believers who’ve turned themselves into a powerhouse.
It’s not just Stars vs. Misfits. It’s a battle between what college football has always been - and what it’s becoming.
And come Saturday night in Indianapolis, one of these 12-0 teams is walking away with a Big Ten title. The other will be left wondering what might’ve been.