Interactive Thesis Exploration Tool
Toggle between the three core strategic arguments explaining Indiana's historic 16-0 undefeated season. Each thesis is backed by comparative master dataset metrics against the Preseason AP Top 10 cohort.
Driven by Elite Offensive Output & 3rd-Down Execution
Indiana averaged 41.6 PPG (666 total points) and 6.8 yards per play across 1,065 offensive plays. Backed by a 56.5% 3rd-down conversion rate and 72.7% red-zone touchdown efficiency, the offense systematically outpaced the Preseason Top 10 offensive average (32.3 PPG, 6.2 YPP).
Points For vs. Points Against (Top 10 vs. IU)
3rd-Down Conversion & Suppression Pct
Head-to-Head Comparative Battle
Select any Preseason AP Top 10 team to compare side-by-side against Indiana's championship metrics.
4-Quadrant Team Profiling (Offense vs. Defense)
Mapping Offensive Yards/Play (X-axis) against Defensive Yards/Play Allowed (Y-axis). Indiana occupies the elite upper-right quadrant ("Elite Balanced"), outperforming all preseason favorites.
Elite Balanced Quadrant
High offensive yards per play (>6.0) combined with stingy defensive yards allowed (<5.0).
Key Positioning
- • Indiana: 6.8 Off / 4.7 Def Allowed
- • Ohio State: 6.7 Off / 4.0 Def Allowed
- • Oregon: 7.4 Off / 3.98 Def Allowed
- • Texas: 6.0 Off / N/A Def Allowed
2025-26 Complete 16-0 Game Log
Complete match-by-match results, scores, conference status, duration, and attendance.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Overall Rec | Conf Rec | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/30/2025 | Old Dominion | W | 27-14 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 3:19 | 47,109 |
| 09/06/2025 | Kennesaw St. | W | 56-9 | 2-0 | 0-0 | 3:17 | 43,801 |
| 09/12/2025 | Indiana St. | W | 73-0 | 3-0 | 0-0 | 3:03 | 46,219 |
| 09/20/2025 | Illinois * | W | 63-10 | 4-0 | 1-0 | 3:06 | 56,088 |
| 09/27/2025 | at Iowa * | W | 20-15 | 5-0 | 2-0 | 3:28 | 69,251 |
| 10/11/2025 | at Oregon * | W | 30-20 | 6-0 | 3-0 | 3:15 | 59,625 |
| 10/18/2025 | Michigan St. * | W | 38-13 | 7-0 | 4-0 | 3:12 | 55,165 |
| 10/25/2025 | UCLA * | W | 56-6 | 8-0 | 5-0 | 3:08 | 54,867 |
| 11/01/2025 | at Maryland * | W | 55-10 | 9-0 | 6-0 | 3:10 | 46,185 |
| 11/08/2025 | at Penn St. * | W | 27-24 | 10-0 | 7-0 | 3:01 | 105,231 |
| 11/15/2025 | Wisconsin * | W | 31-7 | 11-0 | 8-0 | 3:05 | 55,042 |
| 11/28/2025 | at Purdue * | W | 56-3 | 12-0 | 9-0 | 3:04 | 59,807 |
| 12/06/2025 | vs Ohio St. (B1G Champ) | W | 13-10 | 13-0 | 9-0 | 3:06 | 68,214 |
| 01/01/2026 | vs Alabama (CFP Quarterfinal) | W | 38-3 | 14-0 | 9-0 | 3:01 | 90,278 |
| 01/09/2026 | vs Oregon (CFP Semifinal) | W | 56-22 | 15-0 | 9-0 | 3:21 | 75,604 |
| 01/19/2026 | vs Miami (FL) (National Championship) | W | 27-21 | 16-0 | 9-0 | 3:29 | 67,229 |
2025-26 Indiana University Player Statistics
Individual rushing leaders, defensive anchors, and Fernando Mendoza passing stats from the 16-0 championship run.
Rushing Leaders
Defensive Anchors & Tackles
#15 Fernando Mendoza Passing Game-by-Game (Totals: 273-379, 72.0%, 3,535 Yds, 41 TD, 6 INT)
| Opponent | Comp | Att | Int | Pct | Yards | TD | Long | Sacked | Effic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dominion | 18 | 31 | 0 | 58.1 | 193 | 0 | 46 | 1-4 | 110.4 |
| Kennesaw St. | 18 | 25 | 0 | 72.0 | 245 | 4 | 40 | 0-0 | 207.1 |
| Indiana St. | 19 | 20 | 0 | 95.0 | 270 | 5 | 31 | 0-0 | 290.9 |
| Illinois | 21 | 23 | 0 | 91.3 | 267 | 5 | 43 | 2-14 | 260.6 |
| at Iowa | 13 | 23 | 1 | 56.5 | 233 | 2 | 49 | 2-12 | 161.6 |
| at Oregon | 20 | 31 | 1 | 64.5 | 215 | 1 | 29 | 1-9 | 127.0 |
| Michigan St. | 24 | 28 | 0 | 85.7 | 332 | 4 | 48 | 0-0 | 232.5 |
| UCLA | 15 | 22 | 1 | 68.2 | 168 | 3 | 62 | 0-0 | 168.2 |
| at Maryland | 14 | 21 | 1 | 66.7 | 201 | 1 | 52 | 1-8 | 153.3 |
| at Penn St. | 19 | 30 | 1 | 63.3 | 218 | 1 | 53 | 3-17 | 128.7 |
| Wisconsin | 22 | 24 | 0 | 91.7 | 299 | 4 | 48 | 5-29 | 251.3 |
| at Purdue | 8 | 15 | 0 | 53.3 | 117 | 2 | 43 | 0-0 | 162.9 |
| vs Ohio St. | 15 | 23 | 1 | 65.2 | 222 | 1 | 51 | 3-10 | 151.9 |
| vs Alabama | 14 | 16 | 0 | 87.5 | 192 | 3 | 38 | 3-22 | 250.2 |
| vs Oregon | 17 | 20 | 0 | 85.0 | 177 | 5 | 36 | 1-20 | 241.8 |
| vs Miami (FL) | 16 | 27 | 0 | 59.3 | 186 | 0 | 25 | 3-23 | 117.1 |
Preseason Top 10 vs. Indiana Master Dataset
| Team | Preseason Rank | Final Record | Win Pct | Points For (PF) | Points Against (PA) | Scoring Margin | Off. Yds/Play | Def. Yds/Play | Turnover Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1 | 10-3 | .769 | 396 | 264 | +10.15 | 6.0 | N/A | N/A |
| Penn State | 2 | 7-6 | .538 | 393 | 267 | +9.69 | 5.78 | 5.16 | -1 |
| Ohio State | 3 | 12-2 | .857 | 468 | 130 | +24.1 | 6.7 | 4.0 | +4 |
| Clemson | 4 | 7-6 | .538 | 354 | 267 | +6.69 | 5.8 | 5.3 | +2 |
| Georgia | 5 | 12-2 | .857 | 449 | 246 | +14.5 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Notre Dame | 6 | 10-2 | .833 | 504 | 211 | +24.4 | 7.3 | 4.6 | +15 |
| Oregon | 7 | 9-1 | .900 | 390 | 137 | +25.3 | 7.36 | 3.98 | +5 |
| Alabama | 8 | 11-4 | .733 | 443 | 288 | +10.3 | 5.6 | 4.9 | +7 |
| LSU | 9 | 7-6 | .538 | 321 | 302 | +1.5 | 5.3 | 5.0 | +7 |
| Miami (FL) | 10 | 10-2 | .833 | 409 | 166 | +20.3 | 6.3 | 4.5 | +9 |
| Indiana University | 20 | 16-0 | 1.000 | 666 | 187 | +29.9 | 6.8 | 4.7 | +22 |