When it comes to the B1G this season, two teams stand out from the rest. Both Ohio State and Indiana remain undefeated. HCs Ryan Day and Curt Cignetti are locked in for a battle for the top spot. Although the two sides won’t meet in the regular season, several CBS Sports analysts have already picked their favorites if the two sides meet in the conference championship game.

Most sided with Ohio State, but one analyst, in particular, backed Indiana. Rick Neuheisel, who is the father of UCLA interim OC Jerry Neuheisel, made a bold Indiana prediction on CBS Sports. The panel was discussing the potential matchup between the two titans. Although everyone agreed that Indiana looks dangerous this season, most analysts still picked Ryan Day’s team to win. Rick, however, decided to go with Indiana.

“If I had to pick who was going to win that game (between Ohio State and Indiana), I’d take Indiana,” Rick said on the November 2nd episode of the show. Curt Cignetti, in only his second year, has elevated Indiana to a high-quality program. Indiana currently tops the conference with a 9–0 overall record. The Hoosiers have cruised past their opponents, allowing no more than 20 points in a single game, which was against Oregon. And that’s not all.

Indiana’s offense ranks No. 1 nationally this season, averaging around 46.4 points per game. QB Fernando Mendoza, who is the main man for Indiana’s offense, has been tearing it up. As of now, the Heisman candidate has thrown for 2,333 yards and 25 touchdowns, with a completion rate of 72%. Taking all of this into account, it does not come as a shock that Rick Neusheisel picked them over Ohio State.

If Indiana ends up winning the B1G championship, it would mean the continuation of Ryan Day’s four-year dry spell of winning the trophy. He last won it in 2022 and will now aim to break the curse by winning the trophy that has eluded him for so long.

Despite Indiana’s threat, Ryan Day is locked in to win the Big Ten

Last season, Ryan Day’s team fell short of reaching the title game and had to watch Oregon claim the trophy instead. This year, however, Ohio State looks like the favorite to win the whole thing. With an 8-0 overall record, the Buckeyes are at the top of the conference alongside Indiana. Their offense has racked up 37.4 points for 445 yards per game. The reason for their offensive success is QB Julian Sayin.

With 23 TDs and an 80.7% completion rate for 2188 yards, Sayin has been the central focus of the Buckeyes’ offense. With him at the center, Ryan Day is confident going into the last games of the regular season. Their only ‘tough’ fixture comes in the form of the Michigan Wolverines, whom they face in the last game of the season.

“Nobody wants to win against them (Michigan) more than we do, more than I do,” Ryan Day expressed on the matchup. His side cannot afford a loss at this stage of the season. With Indiana creeping up, the pressure is on Ryan Day and Ohio State to make a statement.

The real reason teams fear Ohio State is not just their offense. It’s what the defense has been doing under Matt Patricia. It doesn’t matter whether the Buckeyes are at home or away; the defensive unit gets a stop, and even if a team manages to reach the red zone, they’re limited to a field goal. While the offense took some time to find its groove, the defense has been rocking since Week 1, when it held Texas to just 7 points.