Indiana football made history on Saturday, delivering one of the biggest upsets of the 2025 college football season with a 30-20 victory over No. 3 Oregon.
Head coach Curt Cignetti had praised Dan Lanning and the Ducks before the matchup, calling them “one of the most impressive young coaching teams” in the nation, but the Hoosiers came to Eugene and flipped the script.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the charge with poise and precision, while the defense contained Oregon’s explosive offense just enough to seal the win. The result wasn’t just a statement: it was historic.
According to Alek Arend, Indiana was 1–72 all-time against AP Top-5 teams and had lost 46 straight games in such matchups before Saturday. His post on X captured the sentiment perfectly:
“Indiana was 1-72 all-time vs. AP Top-5 teams with 46 straight losses in such games. 46! OF COURSE Oregon ends Indiana’s losing streak.”
The image accompanying his post, Oregon’s mascot slumped over a trash can, summed up the Ducks’ collapse.
Indiana was 1-72 all-time vs. AP Top-5 teams with 46 straight losses in such games. 46!
OF COURSE Oregon ends Indiana’s losing streak 🤣 pic.twitter.com/jmnXpjDr7i
— Alek Arend (@alekarend) October 11, 2025
The Hoosiers’ victory validated Pat McAfee’s bold prediction from ESPN’s College GameDay earlier in the week, when he stunned Oregon fans by picking Indiana to pull off the upset.
“The Indiana Hoosiers tell the world we’re for real,” McAfee had said, and the team did just that.
With the win, Indiana not only improved to 6-1 but also reignited talk of another College Football Playoff run under Cignetti. Saturday’s triumph in Eugene was more than an upset; but the end of a 46-game curse.
