The emotion was palpable from the moment Fernando Mendoza turned toward the camera to start his postgame interview, as the celebration unfolded around him at Lucas Oil Stadium and this Indiana run — still ongoing — that he has orchestrated reached a new peak.

Mendoza, who threw for 222 yards and a touchdown during the Hoosiers’ shocking 13-10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game Saturday night in Indianapolis, made a final statement for his Heisman Trophy case, and the quarterback also ensured that Indiana likely will receive the No. 1 seed for the College Football Playoff.

“It sounds so beautiful,” Mendoza told the Fox broadcast when asked about what it sounds like for Indiana to be Big Ten champions. “Who ever thought the Hoosiers would be here, but now the Hoosiers a

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