Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers head into the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed in the field after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes by a final score of 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game.

Knocking off Ohio State was the biggest statement that Indiana could have sent. Not only did the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes, they completely shut down the former No. 1 team in the nation offensively.

Led by star quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who many believe could be the top overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Hoosiers are a legitimate national championship contender. However, there are some who are looking ahead at next season with questions.

Read more: Texas, Arch Manning Dealt More Bad News After Missing CFP

Being a long-term championship contender is no easy task. Losing Mendoza to the NFL, assuming he makes that decision, will be difficult to recover from. That being said, there is an intriguing transfer portal option that Indiana could become a favorite to land.

Joe Cox of College Football HQ on SI has named the Hoosiers as potential team to watch when it comes to star Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt in the transfer portal.

“Who would have thought that Indiana would be a QB destination? But if Kurtis Rourke can lead IU to the Playoff and Fernando Mendoza can lead them to No. 1, what could Leavitt do in Bloomington?” Cox wrote. “Assuming Mendoza does go to the NFL (which seems like a foregone conclusion), the spot is open for an immediate splash.”

Leavitt made the decision to enter the transfer portal back on Monday. He has shown elite talent during his time with the Sun Devils.

During the 2025 college football season at Arizona State, Leavitt completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while also running for 306 yards and five scores. He produced those numbers in just seven games.

Read more: Alabama Named in Paul Finebaum’s Head-Turning CFP Prediction

Last year, Leavitt posted bigger numbers. He threw for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while completing 61.7 percent of his passes. He chipped in with 443 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Adding Leavitt would undoubtedly keep Cignetti and Indiana in the national championship picture. There will be plenty of other teams with interest in adding him, but the Hoosiers would make a ton of sense.

For more on the Indiana Hoosiers and college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.

The northern lights could return once again to skies over Indiana late Monday night, Dec. 8, nearly a month after colorful auroras dazzled not only the Hoosier State, but Florida, too.

Over the weekend, scientists with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center caught a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) expected to collide with Earth’s upper atmosphere sometime Monday.

Federal forecasters on Dec. 8 released an aurora forecast map that includes nearly a dozen U.S. states with chances to see the northern lights directly overhead. The southern-most viewing line slices just north of Indiana, but that doesn’t rule out Indiana’s chances.

Article continues after photo gallery.

A different forecast model by the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska paints a rosier outlook. It predicts the northern lights might be viewable low on the horizon as far south as Louisville.

Space weather, of course, is notoriously difficult to predict. Hoosiers might step outside late Monday night to find beautiful auroras of purple, pink and green, or they might gaze up and see diddly squat. Here’s what stargazing Hoosiers should know.

What states could see the auroras tonight, Dec. 8, 2025?

At least ten U.S. states have a chance to see the northern lights directly overhead on Monday, Dec. 8, according to NOAA’s aurora forecast map. They include:

1. Alaska;
2. Washington;
3. Idaho;
4. Montana;
5. Wyoming;
6. North Dakota;
7. South Dakota;
8. Minnesota;
9. Wisconsin;
10. Michigan.

When are the northern lights tonight, Dec. 8, 2025? What time?

Auroras could be visible in more states than those listed above, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute website, which tracks the phenomenon.

Beginning at 10 p.m. ET, Monday, Dec. 8, until 1 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, the institute predicts high aurora activity will be seen in cities that include:

• Vancouver, British Columbia;
• Helena, Montana;
• Minneapolis, Minnesota;
• Toronto, Ontario;
• Montpelier, Vermont.

According to its map of aurora activity, the institute shows the northern lights could also appear low on the horizon on Dec. 8 as far south as Indianapolis, including cities in these other U.S. states:

• Iowa;
• Illinois;
• Indiana;
• Kentucky;
• Ohio;
• Pennsylvania;
• New York;
• Maine and across New England.

INJURY REPORT

PACERS

Ben Sheppard: Out – Calf

Tyrese Haliburton: Out – Achilles

Quenton Jackson: Out – Hamstring

Aaron Nesmith: Out – Knee

Obi Toppin: Out – Foot

Kam Jones: Out – Back

KINGS

Keegan Murray: Day-to-day – Trapezius

Domantas Sabonis: Out – Knee

Dennis Schroder: Out – Hip

Game date, time and location: Monday, Dec. 8, 7:00 p.m. EST, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Indiana, NBC Sports California

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan (Indiana), Sports 1140 AM (Sacramento)

VITALS: The Indiana Pacers (5-18) and Sacramento Kings (6-17) meet for the first of two regular season matchups. The two teams met twice last season, both resulting in wins for the Pacers. The Pacers are 55-45 all-time versus the Kings during the regular season, including 33-17 in home games and 22-28 in road games.

PROJECTED STARTERS

PACERS

G Andrew Nembhard

G Bennedict Mathurin

C Jay Huff

F Garrison Matthews

F Pascal Siakam

KINGS

G Russell Westbrook

G Zach LaVine

C Maxime Raynaud

F DeMar DeRozan

F Keegan Murray

Spread: Pacers -3.5 (-110), Kings +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Pacers -162, Kings +136

Total points scored: 233.5 (over -108, under -112)

QUOTABLE

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle addresses recent wins and upcoming Kings game: “Getting back on defense was a big part of it. We did well in both games. We did good things offensively that helped our defense as well. Sacramento has got two Hall-of-Famers on their team, you know, DeRozan and Westbrook. They got Monk coming off the bench who’s explosive. They got LaVine who’s been an All-Star, who got 42 points last night, they smashed Miami last night. They got Murray, they got a bunch of guys. This guy Raynaud is a very good young big who’s very skilled.” … “It’s a big challenge.”

Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Indiana Pacers On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Miami Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket