Indiana fans still see the Hoosiers as a national contender after the Ohio State loss

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Indiana football fans remain optimistic about the team’s outlook in 2026 in spite of this past weekend’s 19-15 loss to Ohio State at home.

The Hoosiers came within a few inches of taking a late lead on the Buckeyes with just minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the defense still looked like a championship-level unit throughout the matchup. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to work on, as Indiana’s running game has really struggled in its two most recent matchups.

We surveyed the fanbase this week on what they felt this team’s ceiling was following the loss, and most of those who responded still view these Hoosiers as national championship contenders:

A majority, or 60%, of respondents see it as such. The next highest projection was that this team can contend for a Big Ten championship, coming in at 20%. After that, 13% of respondents see Indiana as a playoff bid contender while just 7% see Indiana as out of the playoff picture.

Indiana has the fifth best odds to win the national championship as of Friday afternoon, per FanDuel Sportsbook, sitting at +750. The Hoosiers are behind Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Miami and sit just ahead of Alabama.