Kick Time and Television Designation set for Indiana University Football’s Halloween Game vs. Minnesota IU fans attending the Minnesota game on Halloween may want to plan to trick or treat at the postgame tailgates. As is the case each season, the Big Ten is rolling out kick times and television designations a couple weeks ahead of each game. Indiana’s week nine game against Minnesota in Bloomington will kick at 3:30 p.m. ET and air to a national audience on CBS. This is the first time this season IU plays in the 3:30 slot on CBS. Indiana has not played Minnesota since 2021, and the Hoosiers have lost four straight to the Gophers. Minnesota has opened the season 4-2 with its losses against Mississippi State at home, and at Purdue. They have wins over Eastern Illinois, Akron, Washington and Michigan. The Gophers will host Iowa this weekend before heading to Bloomington. They are currently unranked and not receiving votes.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Receives 8 Votes in Preseason AP Poll The first AP poll of the 2026-2027 college basketball season was released on Monday afternoon. IU basketball is outside the AP Top 25 to begin the season. However, the Hoosiers received eight votes in the poll. They are effectively No. 36. Indiana’s two exhibition victories, especially their dominant showing against UNC at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, gave fans and voters optimism heading into the season. Big Ten teams ranked in the AP Top 25 include: No. 3 Illinois, No. 6 Michigan State, No. 16 Michigan, No. 21 USC and No. 22 UCLA. The Florida Gators are the AP No. 1. Big Ten teams outside of IU that received votes in the AP poll include: Nebraska (70), Purdue (53), Ohio State (39), and Iowa (12). Non-conference opponents for IU this season that are ranked in the AP poll include: No. 12 Arkansas and No. 23 Kentucky. Those two games will take place three days apart, both at neutral sites: Arkansas at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 17, and Kentucky at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Nov. 20. IU will also face Missouri on Dec. 18 in Bloomington, and the Tigers received 167 votes in the AP poll, the most for any team not ranked in the Top 25. The Hoosiers will play their final exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 25, against Western Kentucky in Evansville, Indiana. Tip is at 4 p.m. Eastern and will be televised on Big Ten Plus.
Indiana University Men’s Soccer Ready for Another Big Ten Road Test Coming off its first loss Friday at Rutgers, Indiana men’s soccer (11-1-2, 4-1-1 B1G) looks to bounce back in another Big Ten road match at Ohio State (6-4-2, 1-4-1 B1G) Tonight at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the match via the Big Ten Network. A win Tonight keeps Indiana in control of the Big Ten table, as it currently sits tied-for-second with 13 points and a game in hand on first-place Michigan State (16 points), who IU will play on the last day of the regular season. The Hoosiers are tied with Washington but hold the tiebreaker having beaten the Huskies earlier this season.
Indiana-Ohio State annually reunites head coaches Todd Yeagley and Brian Maisonneuve, teammates and All-Americans at Indiana from 1991-94. As seniors, both won National Player of the Year honors – Yeagley was the MAC Player of the Year and Maisonneuve the Hermann Trophy winner before the award merged into one trophy in 2002. Maisonneuve served on Yeagley’s coaching staff at Indiana from 2010-17, helping the program win its eighth NCAA title in 2012, before becoming the Buckeye head coach ahead of the 2018 season. Indiana defender Nick McHenry returns to Ohio State for the first time since his transfer to IU. Two years ago, as a freshman, McHenry helped the Buckeyes to their first NCAA College Cup appearance since 2007. Friday’s defeat marked the end to Indiana’s 13-game unbeaten streak, the program’s longest since 2017.
Ohio State is on a two-game losing skid, both results coming against ranked opponents: a 2-1 loss at No. 21 UCLA on October 10 before a 3-2 defeat versus No. 12 Michigan State on Friday. The Buckeyes are 0-2-1 against ranked opponents. Isaiah Chisholm leads Ohio State in scoring with seven goals and featured in the MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List but has not seen action since early September. Aaron Hurge has three goals and four assists, and Aaron Wurschmidt has five goals. Maisonneuve leads Ohio State in his ninth season, carrying a 62-66-23 career record enveloping his time in Columbus.
Indiana has won 49 of 60 meetings with Ohio State, including each of the first 26 matchups. A win Tonight would mark IU’s 50th against the Buckeyes – its greatest win total against any Big Ten program. IU has only dropped one meeting in the last 11 going back to 2017, with nine victories in that span (9-1-1), though the draw and loss came in its last two road visits. Indiana earned a comeback victory last season, overcoming a 2-1 deficit with three second-half goals to win 4-2. Current Hoosiers Easton Bogard, Alex Barger, Charlie Heuer and Collins Oduro all scored or assisted in the match.
Indiana University Women’s Volleyball Sweeps Washington in Seattle One of the best performances of the season resulted in a quick and efficient sweep for the Indiana volleyball team (11-6, 4-4 B1G) on Sunday afternoon at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Hoosiers dispatched of 20th-ranked Washington in straight sets (25-22, 25-18, 25-21) for the second ranked win of the season. IU is now 6-2 against the west coast conference programs in the last two seasons. IU’s defense was up for the challenge once again on Sunday afternoon. After posting 16 team blocks in the contest at Oregon, head coach Steve Aird’s group racked up 10 in just three sets. Washington was held to a .149 hitting percentage and forced to flip into a 6-2 offense halfway through the match. Fifth-year opposite hitter Avry Tatum led the way with six blocks. Middle blockers Ella Boersema and Kiki Granberry each had a hand in five.
With third-year outside hitter Izzy Clark back on the court in a full capacity, IU’s offense is starting to find its heartbeat. Her smart shot selection was on display in the win as she led the match with 12 kills on a .455 hitting percentage. Second-year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager joined her in double figures with 10 kills. IU’s three pin attackers combined for 31 kills and just seven attacking errors. The Hoosiers have been on the wrong end of some long rallies this year but changed that against Washington. IU dug 38 balls in the victory which featured 10 from second-year setter Teodora Krickovic who notched her ninth career double-double. Five different players combined to add seven aces from the end line. IU’s big win snapped a three-match losing streak as we hit the midway point of the conference season. It’s the seventh top-20 Big Ten road win in program history and the third in the last two years. It’s also the first time since 1998-1999 that IU has won multiple ranked matchups in consecutive years.
It was a near total control of Sunday’s match as IU finished off the ranked sweep in Seattle. IU reached the 20-point mark in all three sets and never trailed in the red zone. In the first two sets, IU sided out at over 70 percent, making Washington’s service pressure almost null. Getting points in different facets, combined with an effective offensive night, was key in picking up a victory over the Huskies. IU racked up 40 kills to pair with 10 blocks and seven service aces. The Hoosiers sacrificed 11 mistakes from the end line for the fact that Washington spent a majority of the game scrambling on offense.
The sweep over No. 20 Washington was the second ranked win of the year and the sixth over the last two seasons. It’s also just the ninth sweep of ranked opponent in program history and just the third of those on the road in a Big Ten game. It’s the first time in school history that the Hoosiers have swept a ranked Big Ten team on the road in back-to-back years. On an additional note, the Hoosiers have now won multiple ranked matchups in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1998-1999. IU defeated four ranked teams last year and has already grabbed wins over No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 20 Washington this season.
IU’s defense was on full display for the second-straight game. The Hoosiers picked up 10 blocks in just three sets, led by six from fifth-year opposite hitter Avry Tatum. Over the course of two matches this weekend, IU picked up 26 total blocks. It’s the first time with double-digit blocks in consecutive matches since the last time on the west coast (12.0 – at USC, 13.0 – at UCLA, Oct. 3-4, 2025). The ability to travel and win games, especially out west, is generally the key in becoming a tournament team or not. Over the last two seasons, IU has now won nine Big Ten road games. During that same two-year stretch, IU has gone 6-2 against the west coast programs. That includes victories against UCLA and Washington in both years.
When all three pin attackers have great nights, IU’s offense is at its best. Third-year outside hitter Izzy Clark, second-year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager and fifth-year opposite hitter Avry Tatum combined 31 kills and just seven attacking errors while hitting .375 in the win. Clark’s 12 kills are the most for her since joining the program. Head coach Steve Aird now has 11 ranked wins during his tenure in Bloomington, seven of those on the road. He already has the program record for ranked road wins (7) by a head coach and is now one win away from matching the program record for overall wins against ranked opposition (12).
Indianapolis Colts Dismiss General Manger Chris Ballard after collapse against the Tennessee Titans After nearly a decade in the role, Chris Ballard was dismissed as Indianapolis Colts general manager on Monday. The news came one day after the team blew a 13-0 halftime lead by turning the ball over twice in the second half, failing to protect quarterback Daniel Jones and giving up two game-changing plays on special teams in a 26-20 Week 6 home loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. “I am grateful to Chris for his years of service to the Colts and for everything he poured into this organization,” Colts Owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon said in a statement Monday. “He cared deeply about our team and our community, and we wish Chris and his family all the best.”
Following a second-half collapse last season, Irsay-Gordon sent a clear message: make the playoffs or changes would be made. Six weeks into the season, with the Colts now 2-4, she decided the time for change had come mid-season. “As I said at the start of the season, the sense of urgency has never been higher,” Irsay-Gordon said. “Our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard.”
“Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision,” Irsay-Gordon said. “Waiting would only delay the important work that needs to begin now. We will conduct a thorough search for our next general manager and take the time necessary to identify the right leader for the future of this organization.” Ballard, 57, was in his 10th season with the organization, having been picked by late team owner Jim Irsay to lead the front office in January 2017 after a stint as director of player personnel and later director of football operations for the Kansas City Chiefs. He had previously been a scout and later rose to the position of director of pro scouting for the Chicago Bears.
In all, the Colts posted a regular season record of 72-82-1 during Ballard’s nearly decade-long tenure, reaching the playoffs twice and notching just one postseason victory, in 2018. The team last reached the playoffs in 2020, finishing 11-5 before falling to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card round. In Ballard’s 10 season openers leading the Colts, the team had eight different starting quarterbacks, from Scott Tolzien and Andrew Luck to Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. The organization has been cycling through quarterbacks since Luck’s sudden retirement in 2019, with no long-term solution found and the team continuing to tread water.
Over the last year, Ballard’s big moves trading massive draft capital (two first-round draft picks) for cornerback Sauce Gardner and signing Jones to a multi-year contract clearly haven’t panned out. At 2-4, a sixth straight season missing the playoffs is firmly on the table, but Irsay-Gordon indicated the organization is far from throwing in the towel on this season. “I also want to be clear: this decision does not change our goals for the season,” she said. “We have a lot of football in front of us, and I expect us to compete, improve, and win football games.” The questions surrounding the organization will remain plentiful following Ballard’s departure: Will head coach Shane Steichen get a chance to see this through? Will big-name veterans like Jonathan Taylor and DeForest Buckner become available for trade? Had Ballard remained, there would have been little incentive for him to sell at the trade deadline. With just over three weeks remaining until the trade deadline, the next few weeks could greatly shape the organization’s approach – though many may argue their approach should already be clear.
Kansas lands Purdue transfer Trey Kaufman-Renn in a late boost before the start of the season Kansas has added All-Big Ten forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who played four seasons at Purdue before getting picked by Minnesota in the second round of the NBA draft, filling its biggest perceived hole on the eve of the college basketball season. Jayhawks coach Bill Self announced his transfer Monday, hours before the release of the men’s preseason AP Top 25 poll. The 24-year-old Kaufman-Renn has enrolled in classes at Kansas and began practicing with the team on Sunday. “He reached the national championship game, the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16 at Purdue, and has been extremely well-drilled and well-coached,” Self said in a statement. “Even though it’s late in the process, because of his basketball IQ, we think his transition will be quicker than most put in the same circumstance.”
The 59th overall pick in the June draft, Kaufman-Renn intends to play another season of college basketball after the NCAA’s sudden and chaos-inducing rule change designed to allow student-athletes to play five seasons over a five-year span. The rule was not intended to include players who had finished their careers this past season. But the gray area it created has led to a wave of lawsuits across the country, as athletes in all sports seek another year of eligibility. Kaufman-Renn was granted a preliminary injunction earlier this month, making the 6-foot-9 power forward eligible to play for Kansas for the time being.
Kauffman-Renn graduated from high school in 2021 but didn’t suit up his first season at Purdue because of a knee injury. He played the following four seasons, appearing in 147 games, and helped Purdue reach the national championship game two years ago. Jayhawks guard Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White also have won preliminary injunctions to play another season for them. Kaufman-Renn joins a lineup headlined by Council and White alongside Tyran Stokes, the consensus No. 1 recruit in the nation, and fellow five-star freshman Taylen Kinney. His addition also fills a need in the post, where Flory Bidunga’s transfer to Louisville and Bryson Tiller’s departure for rival Missouri had left a glaring hole in the roster. Kaufman-Renn averaged 20.1 points and 6.5 rebounds as a junior and 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds this past season at Purdue. He also appeared in five games for the Timberwolves during the NBA’s summer league, averaging 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Taylor University Women’s Volleyball Player Margo Hernandez Collects Fifth CL Setter-of-the-Week Award The Crossroads League announced its Athletes of the Week on Monday, with Margo Hernandez taking home CL Setter-of-the-Week for the fifth time this season. Hernandez orchestrated the offense as No. 12 Taylor (23-5, 11-2 CL) went a perfect 2-0 this week with a pair of CL sweeps. The senior began the week with a solid performance against Saint Francis, dishing out 33 assists while collecting five digs, two kills, a pair of blocks and an ace. The Fishers, Indiana native then sparkled in a heavyweight battle against Grace, which TU swept to take the lead in the Crossroads League standings. An outstanding outing saw Hernadez deliver 34 assists in addition to five digs, four aces, three kills and a block.
An incredible senior campaign for Hernandez has her second in the CL and fifth in the NAIA in total assists, while she has the highest hitting percentage in the CL of anyone with at least 100 kills, showing her efficiency on the attack. TU Athletics has received 24 Crossroads League and MSFA Mideast League Player of the Week honors this fall, with the volleyball program accounting for ten. The Trojans continue their season on Wednesday, October 21st, back inside Odle Arena against Spring Arbor (16-8, 8-5 CL) at 7:00 pm, in an attempt to avenge a loss earlier this season on the road.