College Football Playoff Expansion confirms end of Big Ten title game and new scheduling requirements The College Football Playoff has officially doubled to 24 teams. Here are some interesting aspects of the development as it relates to IU football.
THE END OF THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME-2026 will be the 16th and final Big Ten Championship Game, the league confirmed this week. “With the expansion of the College Football Playoff allowing more teams and fan bases access to the postseason, this year’s Big Ten Football Championship Game will be the 16th and final,” the conference announced. The eyes of Big Ten purists will bleed if the current standings hold up. That would mean the last league title game features a former Pac-12 team (UCLA) and long-time conference doormat Indiana.
INDIANA MUST FIND A POWER 4 NONCONFERENCE OPPONENT FOR NEXT SEASON-The news came last week IU was on the hunt for a Power 4 nonconference game for 2027. The 24-team CFP announcement confirms the requirement. To qualify for the CFP, a team must play a total of 10 games against Power 4 opponents, the Committee announced in the press release. The Big Ten plays nine league games, meaning the tenth P4 game must come from outside the conference. Who will the Hoosiers face next fall? Arizona, Kansas, Ole Miss, TCU and Texas Tech appear to be the most likely options at this point. With their recent run of success, the Hoosiers are obviously not the most attractive option, but the 24-team field helps alleviate those kind of concerns. IU is in line to play just four home Big Ten games in 2027, so they’d likely want to start any new home-and-home series in Bloomington next year.
EARLIER START TO REGULAR SEASON, MORE BREAKS-Indiana should generally be able to avoid playing nine-straight games without a week off like it did this season. Beginning next year, there will always be two open weeks in the regular season for every team. The regular season will run from late August to late November. Indiana’s first game in 2027 should be on Saturday, August 28, and game 12 will take place on Saturday, November 27. The 2027-28 Playoff will begin the first full week of December, providing each qualifying team an open week before the CFP First Round starts. The top eight seeds will have two open weeks before playing their first game.
A PLAYOFF GAME IN BLOOMINGTON? JUST A MATTER OF TIME- With 16 of the 23 Playoff games to be played on campus, it seems like more a question of when not if a CFP game will be hosted by IU. All of the top-16 teams will host a CFP game going forward. Indiana has been planning for the occasion, with efforts underway to update the aging Memorial Stadium infrastructure to host games when the weather is extremely cold.
SIDE NOTE: HOOSIERS SHOULD BE HARD TO KEEP OUT OF THIS TOURNAMENT-Did you know: Indiana is the only team in America that has been placed in the bracket by the CFP Committee in every weekly and final rankings update since the playoff expanded to 12 teams in 2024? Now at 24 teams beginning next year, the Hoosiers appear to be strong contenders to continue as mainstays in the event.
Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Tennis Earn NCAA Doubles Berth at ITA South Sectional Championships Indiana men’s tennis duo Braeden Gelletich and Sam Landau secured a berth in the NCAA Doubles Championship by advancing to the final at the ITA South Sectional Championships, held Nov. 5-8 at Florida State’s Scott Speicher Memorial Tennis Center. The fourth-seeded Hoosier duo opened Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Florida Atlantic’s Mark Havlicek and Marek Pazdera. Gelletich and Landau then rallied past Florida State’s Gabor Hornung and Oren Ezerzer in Friday’s quarterfinals, winning 3-6, 6-3, [11-9]. In Saturday’s semifinals, the pair defeated Ole Miss’ Niccolo Baroni and Stefan Vedovelli, 6-3, 6-2, to clinch NCAA qualification. The championship match against Alabama’s Aleksander Blus and Theo Hegarty was not played, as both teams had secured NCAA berths. Matteo Antonescu and Sam Scherer also represented Indiana in doubles, falling to Auburn’s Tyler Bowers and Freddy Blaydes, 7-5, 6-4, in the opening round Thursday. In singles, Gelletich fell to Middle Tennessee’s Aryan Saleh, 6-2, 6-1, in Thursday’s round of 32.
ITA SOUTH SECTIONAL RESULTS
Singles — Round of 32
Aryan Saleh (Middle Tennessee) def. Braeden Gelletich (Indiana), 6-2, 6-1
Doubles — Round of 16
Gelletich/Landau (Indiana) def. Havlicek/Pazdera (Florida Atlantic), 6-4, 6-4
Bowers/Blaydes (Auburn) def. Antonescu/Scherer (Indiana), 7-5, 6-4
Doubles — Quarterfinals
Gelletich/Landau (Indiana) def. Hornung/Ezerzer (Florida State), 3-6, 6-3, [11-9]
Doubles — Semifinals
Gelletich/Landau (Indiana) def. Baroni/Vedovelli (Ole Miss), 6-3, 6-2
Doubles — Final
Gelletich/Landau (Indiana) vs. Blus/Hegarty (Alabama) — Not played; both teams qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championship.
Indiana University Wrestling Has One Champion & Six Finalists at Collegiate Classic Indiana Wrestling had 11 Hoosiers compete in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic Sunday with seven of them finishing the day in third place or better. In the Collegiate Classic’s setup, wrestlers were placed in a round robin pool with a placing match reserved for pairing with the opposite pool at the same weight. Heavyweight Caleb Marzolino went 4-0 to take first place in his division.
No. 20 Tom Crook (149) used a late re-attack late in the match to defeat No. 21 Michael Gioffre (Illinois) in a 4-1 decision. No. 21 Tyler Lillard controlled the match in a 7-3 win over No. 30 Thomas Snipes (Binghamton). No. 16 Kai Owen (157) won his first two matches by pin and tech fall. Caleb Marzolino went 4-0 in his matches to win his pool, including three bonus-point victories. No. 20 Tom Crook (149) and No. 21 Tyler Lillard (165) each picked up their second ranked victories of the season. Marzolino’s title was the first college tournament title of his career. Indiana had seven wrestlers who finished in third place or better in their bracket pool. Indiana opened the season in Bethlehem, Pa. for Journeymen’s WrangleMania and Collegiate Classic for the second-straight year.
MATCH RESULTS Blaine Frazier – 125 lbs. (Red Bracket) R1: Blaine Frazier advanced on bye. R2: Blaine Frazier (IU) def. Brendan Kelly (Duke): TF, 15-0 (2:04) R3: Blaine Frazier (IU) def. Teague Strobel (Hofstra): MD, 8-0 1st: Alex Rozas (Virginia Tech) def. Blaine Frazier (IU): TF, 16-1 (3:27) Blaine Frazier took 2nd Place in the 125 lbs. Red Bracket
No. 19 Jackson Blum – 133 lbs. (Black Bracket) R1: No. 19 Jackson Blum (IU) def. Nathan Braun (Harvard): MD, 17-4 R2: No. 19 Jackson Blum (IU) advanced on bye. R3: No. 19 Jackson Blum (IU) def. Little Jarvis (Arizona State): MD, 19-8 1st: No. 12 Elijah Cortez (Cornell) def. No. 19 Jackson Blum (IU): Dec. 5-4 No. 19 Jackson Blum took 2nd Place in the 133 lbs. Black Bracket
Joey Buttler – 141 lbs. (Black Bracket) R1: No. 5 Bo Bassett (Virginia Tech) def. Joey Buttler (IU): TF, 23-4 (2:12) R2: Coleman Nogle (Harvard) def. Joey Buttler (IU): Fall (5:50) R3: Joey Buttler (IU) advanced on bye. 5th: Joey Buttler (IU) def. Roman Lermer (Columbia): Dec. 8-5 Joey Buttler took 5th Place in the 141 lbs. Black Bracket
Lucas Peters – 141 lbs. (Red Bracket) R1: Lucas Peters (IU) advanced on bye. R2: Jake Zaltsman (Lock Haven) def. Lucas Peters (IU): Dec. 9-8 R3: Keegan Oler (Clarion) def. Lucas Peters (IU) Dec. 4-2 5th: Lucas Peters (IU) def. CJ Huerta (Rutgers): MFF Lucas Peters took 5th Place in the 141 lbs. Red Bracket
No. 20 Tom Crook (Black Bracket) R1: No. 20 Tom Crook (IU) advanced on bye. R2: No. 20 Tom Crook (IU) def. Brogan Tucker (NC State): Dec. 17-13 R3: No. 20 Tom Crook (IU) def. No. 21 Michael Gioffre (Illinois): Dec. 4-1 1st: No. 8 Koy Buesgens (NC State) def. No. 20 Tom Crook (IU): Dec. 4-1 No. 20 Tom Crook took 2nd Place in the 149 lbs. Black Bracket
No. 16 Kai Owen – 157 lbs. (Red Bracket) R1: No. 16 Kai Owen (IU) def. Sly Bentley (Arizona State): Fall (3:53) R2: No. 16 Kai Owen (IU) advanced on bye. R3: No. 16 Kai Owen (IU) def. Devon Margo (Rutgers): TF, 15-0 (7:00) 1st: No. 11 Jackson Arrington (NC State) def. No. 16 Kai Owen (IU): MD, 14-2 No. 16 Kai Owen took 2nd Place in the 157 lbs. Red Bracket
Ryan Garvick – 165 lbs. (Orange Bracket) R1: Ryan Garvick (IU) def. Bond Dawson (Arizona State): Fall (0:41) R2: Ryan Garvick (IU) advanced on bye. R3: Ryan Garvick (IU) def. Griffin Gonzalez (Lehigh): MD, 9-0 1st: Latrell Schaefer (Maryland) def. Ryan Garvick (IU): Dec. 8-1 Ryan Garvick took 2nd Place in the 165 lbs. Orange Bracket
No. 21 Tyler Lillard – 165 lbs. (Black Bracket) R1: No. 21 Tyler Lillard (IU) advanced on bye. R2: No. 21 Tyler Lillard (IU) def. No. 30 Thomas Snipes (Binghamton): Dec. 7-3 R3: No. 22 Alessio Perentin (Cornell) def. No. 21 Tyler Lillard (IU): Inj. Default 5th: No. 33 Dylan Elmore (Navy) def. No. 21 Tyler Lillard (IU): MFF No. 21 Tyler Lillard took 6th Place in the 165 lbs. Black Bracket
Orlando Cruz – 174 lbs. (Black Bracket) R1: No. 6 Simon Ruiz (Cornell) def. Orlando Cruz (IU) Fall (0:49) R2: Orlando Cruz (IU) def. King Kaden (LIU): Dec. 4-1 R3: Orlando Cruz (IU) advanced on bye. 3rd: No. 21 Carter Baer (Binghamton) def. Orlando Cruz (IU): TF, 15-0 (5:38) Orlando Cruz took 3rd Place in the 174 lbs. Black Bracket
Caleb Marzolino – 285 lbs. (Pink Bracket) R1: Caleb Marzolino (IU) def. Luke Sottolano (Lock Haven): Fall (5:41) R2: Caleb Marzolino (IU) def. Jack Peters (Davidson): Fall (2:15) R3: Caleb Marzolino (IU) advanced on bye. R4: Caleb Marzolino (IU) def. Brody Kline (F&M): MD, 14-6 R5: Caleb Marzolino (IU) def. Kazmeier Morosetti (Columbia): Dec. 5-2 Caleb Marzolino took 1st Place in the 285 lbs. Pink Bracket
Nick Pavlechko – 285 lbs. (Red Bracket) R1: Cy Kruse (Cornell) def. Nick Pavlechko (IU): TF, 17-2 (4:10) R2: Kai Calcutt (NC State) def. Nick Pavlechko (IU): MD, 18-8 R3: Nick Pavlechko advanced on bye. 5th: No. 26 Bennett Tabor (NC State) def. Nick Pavlechko (IU): MD, 13-3 Nick Pavlechko took 5th Place in the 285 lbs. Red Bracket
No. 25 Indiana will stay on the road for a dual at Central Michigan on Sunday of next week (Nov. 15).
Indiana University Men’s Tennis Announces the 2027 Spring Schedule Indiana men’s tennis has announced its schedule for the 2027 spring season, featuring 12 non-conference matches and 13 Big Ten contests. The Hoosiers will open their season with a home doubleheader against Butler and Ball State on Jan. 13 at the IU Tennis Center. Indiana will face Butler at 1 p.m. before taking on Ball State at 6 p.m. Indiana will travel to Mississippi State on Jan. 17 before heading to Fort Worth, Texas, for ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Hoosiers will face Tulsa on Jan. 23, followed by either TCU or Wichita State on Jan. 24. Indiana will return home to close January against Memphis on Jan. 30.
February will begin with road matches at Middle Tennessee on Feb. 5 and Louisville on Feb. 12. The Hoosiers will then return to Bloomington for a doubleheader against BYU and Cleveland State on Feb. 20 before hosting Dartmouth on Feb. 28. Big Ten play will begin at home against Illinois on March 12. Indiana will host Northwestern on March 14 at noon before facing Southern Indiana in a non-conference contest at 5 p.m. The Hoosiers will close March with three conference road matches, visiting Purdue on March 20 before traveling to Southern California to face USC on March 26 and UCLA on March 28.
Indiana will open April at home against Washington on April 2 and Oregon on April 4. A four-match road stretch will follow, with visits to Penn State on April 10, Ohio State on April 11, Nebraska on April 16 and Wisconsin on April 18. The Hoosiers will conclude the regular season in Bloomington, hosting Michigan on April 23 and Michigan State on April 25. Following the regular season, Indiana will compete in the Big Ten Championships from April 28-May 2, with location to be determined. NCAA Team Regionals are scheduled for May 7-9, followed by Super Regionals on May 15. The NCAA Championships will take place May 20-23 in Lake Nona, Florida.
Illinois Sweeps Indiana University Women’s Volleyball in Wilkinson Hall Struggles late in sets has been a consistent item in home matches this season. The Indiana volleyball team (14-9, 7-7 B1G) failed to capitalize on five set points in the opening frame, eventually falling in a sweep to Illinois (27-29, 19-25, 26-28) on Sunday afternoon at Wilkinson Hall. IU is 5-4 in home matches this season. Going up 24-22 early in the match has come back to bite IU on multiple occasions. In matches against USC (L, 0-3) and Oregon (L, 2-3), IU was unable to close out an early set with a multi-point lead. The Hoosiers would go on to lose both of those contests. Illinois fended off set points in game one and game three to win a pair of deuce games and pick up its first win in Bloomington since 2021.
Second-year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager did her best to keep IU alive with a great all-around effort. She led the way with 17 kills and added 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Jager also shared the team lead with four blocks, three of those that came in the opening frame. Third-year outside hitter Izzy Clark joined her in double figures with 10 kills. IU’s floor defense went blow for blow with Illinois but head coach Steve Aird’s team couldn’t find a way to win long rallies. Illinois hit .279 (51-17-122) in the victory with at least 14 kills from all three pin attackers. Second-year libero Audrey Jackson had 16 digs. The flip into the 5-2 offensive system helped Illinois with both setters producing at least 19 assists. With three matches remaining in the regular season, IU will look to boost its seeding in this month’s Big Ten Tournament. That begins on Wednesday (Nov. 11) evening with a trip to face top-25 Minnesota at the Maturi Pavilion. IU’s final two home games are set for Nov. 15 (Northwestern) and Nov. 17 (Purdue).
A great offensive effort from Illinois made it difficult for IU to string together points on Sunday. The Fighting Illini hit .279 as all three pin hitters had 14-or-more kills and an attacking percentage above .380. Late in sets, Illinois came to life, fending off seven set points in total in the match. Second-year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager provided 17 kills in Sunday’s contest, the 25th time in 34 career Big Ten matches where she’s reached double digits. It’s the most kills she’s had in a three-set Big Ten match since arriving in Bloomington last season. Second-year libero Audrey Jackson matched her career with 16 digs against Illinois. It’s the first time she’s hit that mark in a three-set match in her career. Since taking back the libero jersey last week, Jackson has had two matches with 16 digs (at Michigan State, vs. Illinois).
Taylor University Men’s Basketball’s Nathan Baker Honored as CL Defender-of-the-Week The Crossroads League announced its Athletes of the Week on Monday, with Nathan Baker being honored as the CL Men’s Basketball Defender-of-the-Week. Baker earned the distinction once in his freshman campaign. The Fishers, Indiana native, was a force on the defensive end as RV Taylor went a perfect 2-0 on the road. The forward averaged 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while chipping in 8.0 points per game. The sophomore corralled 11 rebounds against GSU, matching a career high, while dishing out four assists, the second-highest mark in his TU career. The Trojans held RV Olivet Nazarene and Governors State to 60 points apiece, while forcing 17 or more turnovers in each contest. Baker led the defensive charge which held each team under 42 percent shooting from the field and below 22 percent from beyond the arc. TU athletes have already collected 33 Crossroads League and MSFA Mideast League Player of the Week honors this fall, with Baker’s the first for the men’s basketball program in 2026. RV Taylor (4-1) returns to Odle Arena for a matchup against Washington Adventist (0-2) on Thursday, November 12th at 7:00 pm, before a quick turnaround to host IU East (1-3) on Friday at 6:00 pm.
Cooper Flagg has 43 points, 10 rebounds, Kyrie Irving 35 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 125-122 win over the Indiana Pacers Cooper Flagg had 43 points and 10 rebounds and Kyrie Irving scored 35 while completing a back-to-back for the first time this season as the Dallas Mavericks rallied past the Indiana Pacers 125-122 on Monday night. P.J. Washington Jr. could have extended the Dallas lead with four seconds left but missed both free throws, with Indiana’s Obi Toppin grabbing the rebound. The Pacers’ final possession ended with Dallas’ Caleb Martin tipping away a pass by Andrew Nembhard near the sideline. Flagg had a season-high in scoring while Irving tied for his season best. They combined to score 26 points in the fourth quarter — including Dallas’ first 13 — as the Mavericks outscored the Pacers 35-29.
Irving, in action this season after missing 19 months with a torn ACL, played 28 minutes in Sunday night’s 130-93 rout of Brooklyn and a season-high 38 minutes against Indiana after sitting out the second game of the Mavericks’ first back-to-back 2½ weeks ago. He hit a season-high seven 3-pointers. Dallas (7-4) swept a three-game homestand and is three games over .500 for the first time since March 1, 2025 (at 32-29). Flagg has four straight double-doubles and five this season. The Pacers (3-8) were led by Pascal Siakam with 29 points, but only three of those were scored in the second half. Aaron Nesmith scored 18 points with two of his four 3-pointers coming in the final minute. Siakam hit 8 of 9 from the floor during the first half, including 5 of 6 behind the arc, plus 5 of 6 from the line for 26 points. He was the lone Pacer in double figures in building a 13-point lead that was 66-56 at halftime. The Indiana Pacers Host Washington on Wednesday and the Dallas Mavericks are on the road at Minnesota on Thursday.