Hoosiers’ Undefeated Hopes and Reality Checks
ESPN’s Football Power Index has released win probabilities for all 12 games of Indiana’s 2026 regular season. The Hoosiers open with near-certain victories over North Texas (98.7%), Howard (99%) and Western Kentucky (97.6%), then roll into conference play favored against Northwestern (95%) and Rutgers (92.9%). Home contests against Nebraska (81%) and Minnesota (95.6%) remain comfortable, while marquee matchups yield mixed odds: Ohio State gives Indiana only a 39.2% edge, though Michigan looks more winnable at 65.5%. Road tests at USC (77.3%) and Washington (76.2%) appear in Indiana’s favor, and the season closes with another Big Ten blowout over Purdue (96.1%). ESPN projects a 10.1–2.3 record, a 57% chance at the College Football Playoff, and a 6.6% probability of winning it all.
If crystal balls were made of bubble gum, ESPN would have already blown a major one. According to these projections, Indiana will stroll through cupcakes like they’re on a leisurely parade, then pull off enough upsets to justify buying every fan a participation trophy. Who needs on-field drama when spreadsheets can guarantee glory? Clearly, the model hasn’t accounted for midseason quarterback fumbles, surprise weather delays or the inevitable broken pencil moments when coaches realize they can’t actually teach a bubble offense how to pop. But hey, math never lies—until it does.
Canada Gets Schooled by Tomorrow’s Big Ten Crew
In a July exhibition at the FISU America Games, Darian DeVries’ retooled Indiana Hoosiers, representing Team USA, blitzed Canada 98–64. The revamped roster, featuring new bigs Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu, showed early signs of a rugged Big Ten frontcourt—Sherrell logged three blocks and six rebounds, Yigitoglu chipped in six points. True freshman Price-Alexander Moody energized the floor with 13 points and five steals. Despite launching 40 three-pointers, the squad managed only an ice-cold 27.5% clip. Early defensive miscommunications yielded easy Canadian buckets, but cohesion improved as the game progressed. DeVries experimented liberally with rotations, giving depth pieces and all three freshmen meaningful minutes.
Because nothing screams “championship contender” like July shooting woes and a mid-scrimmage lineup clinic, DeVries turned Canada into his personal lab rats. The crowd cheered every steal and every missed three—proof that excitement is inversely proportional to relevance. After all, posting 11 makes on 40 attempts is just another way to say “we’re still figuring out what a shot clock does.” Bench rotations were tested, tolerances were stretched, and Team USA proved that exhibitions in midsummer are basically summer camp with uniforms. But hey, why wait for October when you can overanalyze a glorified pick-up game?
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