The No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers face the No. 3 Oregon Ducks in a battle of undefeated Big Ten Conference teams on Saturday in Eugene. ESPN's College GameDay is coming to town, and New York Liberty star and Oregon legend Sabrina Ionescu was announced as the guest picker.
Plenty of NFL scouts are expected to see Indiana face Oregon, especially with star quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore starting off the season strong. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti also knows it will be a tough test against Dan Lanning's team.
“Great opponent, great team, a lot of great players. Extremely well-coached,” Cignetti said. “Big, fast, athletic, physical, depth. Coach Lanning has done a tremendous job recruiting, developing, and focusing his attention. Probably one of the most impressive young coaching phenoms to come around in a while, having been in this game for a bit. They’re a great football team. Looking forward to the challenge. Confidence in our team.”
So, here are some bold predictions as Indiana tries to get a massive road win.
Fernando Mendoza goes turnover-free with three touchdowns
Mendoza, the Indiana QB who transferred from Cal, has been nothing short of terrific. He has thrown for 1,208 yards with 16 touchdowns and just one interception, which came in the Hoosiers' most recent game against Iowa.
Mendoza's recent surge has him as a favorite to be the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is quite the change from previously. The Indiana signal-caller is also firmly in the Heisman Trophy conversation so far this season.
Against Oregon, Mendoza has his toughest test of the year, but he has been able to live up to the hype so far this year.
Oregon's last game was against Penn State and Drew Allar had an interception, but Mendoza has done a great job taking care of the football with the exception of his one interception.
Moreover, the Indiana QB had four touchdowns or more in three straight games and back-to-back games with five touchdown passes, so expect him to throw at least three in what could be a high-scoring affair.
Indiana takes the lead into halftime
Will Indiana win the game? That's a tall task for Cignetti's team, especially with Oregon's regular-season winning streak. Oregon has also not lost at Autzen Stadium since October 2023, so it is expected to be a huge upset if Indiana gets the win.
However, expect Indiana to come out firing on all cylinders and even take a close lead into halftime. Whether or not that lead remains will be another story, but Indiana scored 35 first-half points against Illinois in the 63-10 defeat, so the offense has the firepower.
The biggest concern for Indiana is the way the Hoosiers played in Week 6 against Iowa. Indiana won, 20-15, on the road. However, it was tied at 10 at halftime in a sluggish offensive showing for both teams.
In the fourth quarter, Indiana scored 10 point, with Mendoza hitting Elijah Sarratt with a 49-yard touchdown pass in the final two minutes to break the 13-13 tie and give them the victory.
Elijah Sarratt – WR, Indiana
– Effective chain moving target with reliable hands
– Assassin on intermediate routes, gets in open windows
– Crafty deep threat with great timing, tracking and body control during catch
– Loves to block for his position pic.twitter.com/4T2A21thp4— Cønnør (@DTownCnnrBrown) October 7, 2025
Still, Indiana found a way to get a win on the road, but this was the first game of the year where the Hoosiers failed to score more than 20 points.
Indiana loses but stays in the top-10
As much as people want Indiana to get the upset, if this game were in Bloomington, it would be a different story. However, Autzen Stadium is one of the toughest places to play, Oregon is fresh off a bye week, and the Ducks are off to a hot-start with a big win over Penn State a couple of weeks ago.
Indiana will keep the game close, and the final will be a one-score difference with Oregon just getting the win.
In turn, No. 7 Indiana should not drop out of the top 10 of the newest rankings, especially with a hard-fought loss on the road to a team that went undefeated in the regular season a year ago and is viewed as a College Football Playoff favorite this time around.
There are no moral victories for Indiana, but keeping it close against Oregon on the road, even with a loss, will be something the Selection Committee will not be able to ignore when they discuss the seeding for the College Football Playoff field.
