Ryan Day is making no excuses after the Big Ten championship loss to Indiana

Ohio State’s No. 1 couldn’t get the job done on Saturday, losing 13-10 to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers at Lucas Oil Stadium and watching their Big Ten championship and undefeated season streak slip away. The loss snapped a 36-year losing streak against the Hoosiers, who hadn’t beaten the Buckeyes since 1988, and gave Indiana its first outright Big Ten title since 1967.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took full responsibility for the loss and he made no excuses.

“At the end of the day, it’s our job to come out here and perform and win,” Day said after the game. “You know we’re not going to make excuses for any of this. We wanted to win this game. The guys had a good week of practice. But at the end of the day, we know we came up short.”

“So we have to go back and figure out why it happened and what the issues are, and you know, fix it because you know the season isn’t over and there’s a lot of football ahead of us, and hopefully we can use this as a way to get better as we go into the playoffs.”

“The season isn’t over, there’s a lot of football ahead of us and hopefully we’ll use that as a way to get better as we head into the playoffs.”

Ryan Day says they’re “not making any excuses” for No. 1 Ohio State’s loss to No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten championship game. pic.twitter.com/PvCibI1kTI

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOKS) December 7, 2025

Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza was hit on the first offensive play and missed a snap. He returned 15 of 23 passes for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception. A 17-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt in the third quarter gave Indiana a lead it never relinquished. Later, Mendoza converted a huge third-and-6 with a 33-yard toss to Charlie Becker that made it less than two minutes and essentially iced the game.

The Buckeyes started strong, taking a 10-6 halftime lead after an early touchdown on a 17-yard pass from Julian Saiin to Carnell Tate and a field goal in the second quarter. However, Ohio State’s offense struggled after halftime, managing just 276 yards against a disciplined Hoosiers defense. Saiin finished 21 of 29 for 258 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Running back Bo Jackson picked up 83 yards on 17 carries and receiver Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 144 yards.

The Buckeyes failed to catch a break in the second half. On fourth-and-1 from the Indiana 5-yard line, Saiin’s quarterback initially appeared to be successful, but review again ruled he was short, derailing a potential play. Fielding attempted a 29-yarder with 2:48 left, but it bounced left, keeping Ohio State down by three.

The Buckeyes will now prepare for the College Football Playoff, where Ohio State will likely earn a first-round bye despite going 12-1.

Indiana’s victory also had larger implications. They finished the season 13-0 and likely secured the Hoosiers the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff — the first time in program history that they will enter the postseason as the top-ranked team.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, haven’t won a Big Ten championship since 2020, though they’re still in strong contention for a deep playoff run.

Both teams will have to wait until Sunday to find out their places in the CFP rankings and their first-round opponents.