Kody

The IU Hoosiers football team has made its second ever 5-0 start in program history, and face a tough road test Saturday as they travel to No. 3 rated Oregon.

This is going to be one of IU’s biggest games of the season. Oregon is coming off a close win against Penn State, but that win has now been diminished since Penn State got beaten by a 0-4 UCLA this past Saturday.

Back to the Hoosiers, their wins have been in dominant fashion for the most part, with beating teams like previously ranked #9 (now #17) Illinois 63-10, Indiana State 73-0, and Kennesaw St. 56-9. The Hoosiers’ last game was by far their toughest, playing Iowa at Kinnick Stadium, which is known to be one of the loudest and fiercest environments in the Big Ten.

That game showed the resilience of IU, with this being their first game held to 20 or fewer points since the game against Notre Dame. Oregon isn’t the only tough game they have.

Circling back to talking about Beaver Stadium, the IU Hoosiers will have to go on the road again to face Penn State on November 8th. As of right now, the Hoosiers are projected as the 9th seed in the college football playoffs by ESPN. The Oregon Ducks are projected as the 3rd seed, which means the IU Hoosiers would get a top spot in the playoffs with home-field advantage.

IU’s opponents aren’t the only thing that is impressive about this season so far. Quarterback  Fernando Mendoza is 4th in Heisman rankings according to Sports Illustrated. He has 1,208 passing yards and 16 touchdowns compared to just a single interception in his last game against Iowa. He can also run the ball, with having 30 carries of 102 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.

The IU Hoosiers gear up and go to Oregon, where they will play in Autzen Stadium to take on #3 Oregon at 3:30 p.m.. You can watch on Paramount+ (CBS) and Fubo.