The Hoosiers: A History

Normally when someone mentions a sports team from Indiana University, they are celebrating their historically successful basketball program. The highlights of college football discussion usually include historic powerhouses like Ohio State, Alabama, and Michigan. Indiana’s football team has been merely a cliff note at the bottom of a long list of teams since its admission into the Big Ten Conference in 1899. They’ve only had 38 total winning seasons, most of which were from early on in the program. Including their recent success, they’ve only won a total of 6 post-season bowl games. Upon entering the 2025 season, the Hoosiers Football Team had the most losses in any FBS college program: 715. But in a shock to the world, the Hoosiers were recently crowned the 2026 National College Football Champions.

A New Beginning

Prior to the 2024 season, the Hoosiers were led by Head Coach Tom Allen. Under Allen’s seven-year run, the Hoosiers made three bowl game appearances but walked away empty-handed every time. In 2023, Allen was officially fired from his position. The Hoosiers hired former James Madison University Coach Curt Cignetti for the role; little did they know this one action would start the journey to the top for the Hoosiers. Cignetti stunned the world of college football by leading Indiana to its first ever 11-2 season in 2024, earning him the accolade of Big Ten Coach of the Year. At this point, it seemed the Hoosiers were no longer just a cliff note.

The First Step

The Hoosiers started off their 2025 season with sweeping wins against all three of their non-conference opponents. They approached their first Big Ten competition games against the Illini and Hawkeyes with confidence, beating both teams and bringing their record to 5-0. At this pivotal moment, many wondered if the Hoosiers had merely not met any true competition. They were proven wrong when Indiana defeated the #23 Iowa Hawkeyes and the #5 Oregon Ducks in back-to-back conference play. The game against the Ducks was hard-fought, gritty, and a testament to Indiana’s stamina and perseverance. It shook the Ducks from their top five spot in the national rankings and catapulted the Hoosiers in their place.

Rewriting the Narrative

After a hard fought and undefeated regular season, the Hoosiers clawed their way into the Big Ten Championship. Their opponent: the Ohio State Buckeyes. Over the last 110 years, the Buckeyes have won 39 Big Ten Conference titles (including 5 in the modern championship), 9 national titles, and 7 Heisman Awards. In comparison, Indiana had no major accolades over their 125 years. Ohio State was the largely favored victor among multiple sports experts and organizations. These predictions were more so based on OSU’s reputation versus their outright numbers. . OSU is known for being a dominant, prideful school that always comes out on top. Despite Indiana’s undefeated record prior to the Big Ten Championship, the college football world was unable to grasp the idea of the Buckeyes being defeated by anyone with so little accolade.

They were wrong. A grueling first half left the Buckeyes with a slim 10-6 lead. Indiana managed to shut out Ohio State from scoring in the third quarter, taking the lead 13-10. The fourth quarter saw no score change at all, cementing Indiana’s position as the #1 team in college football. This was Indiana’s first ever modern Big Ten Championship title, and it was one that shook the FBS world.

A Heisman to Remember

Throughout the Hoosier’s historic season, one player stood out from the rest: Quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Aside from Mendoza’s athletic prowess, he is among the top academic students in the country. He originally committed to Yale before switching to UC Berkeley where he graduated with a degree in business administration. As a grad student, he chose to attend and play for Indiana. During the 2025 season, Mendoza had the second highest overall QB rating in the nation, the highest passing rate in the nation, a total of 3,535 passing yards, 41 passing TDs, and a 74% completion percentage. Put simply, Fernando Mendoza was revolutionary for the Indiana Hoosiers.

As the leadup to the annual Heisman (the award given to the best player in college football every year) ceremony approached, momentum for the Indiana QB that fans had affectionately nicknamed “Heismendoza” continued to build. His competitors for the trophy included star players from Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt. Despite the success of these other players, Mendoza won Indiana University’s first Heisman Award by a landslide. His acceptance speech included a heartfelt tribute to his mom, telling her “this is your trophy as much as it is mine.” His mom was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis over twenty years ago, and in his speech he says that the two of them are “defying what people think is possible.” He also acknowledged the impact his Cuban-American identity had on his life growing up in Miami by giving thanks to his grandparents: “por el amor y sacrificio de mis padres y abuelos, los quiero mucho.” With one more historic achievement under their belt, the Hoosiers were ready to start the fight for the national title.

Road to the Championship

Indiana’s success earned them a bi-week on the playoff bracket. In round 2 of the College Football Playoffs (CFP), the Hoosiers faced the former SEC powerhouse: the Alabama Crimson Tide. Many thought the Crimson Tide would finally reclaim their former status after a recent downslide in program success. They were wrong. Indiana won easily, without even letting ‘Bama score a touchdown.

In the CFP semi-final, the Hoosiers faced a rematch with the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks were hungry for redemption after their loss to Indiana during the season, and many agreed that the odds were in their favor. Beating a team twice during an FBS season is almost unheard of. Once again, Indiana defied all expectations. Unlike their first game against Oregon, which was a gritty and drawn out Big Ten brawl, their post-season match was much more definitive. Indiana kept the lead the whole time, only letting Oregon score 7 points in the first half and defeating them 56-22. Another highlight of this game was the endearing scowl perpetually worn by Coach Curt Cignetti. Throughout the season he had become famous for looking consistently angry, even in the event of success. After most games, instead of focusing on the win, he was looking towards the next match. After this match, however, in his true deadpan-fashion, he delivered a one-liner that fans still talk about: “I’m not thinking about the next game, I’m thinking about cracking open a beer.”

Dream Team

While many had been hoping for a championship showdown between Indiana and Ohio State, the Buckeyes were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were another underdog team; their spot in the playoff bracket was highly contested by Notre Dame- a team who did not make the playoffs. On the day of the game, analysts were unsure whether the Hoosiers were up to the challenge. Previous matches had shown them scoring most of their points in the fourth quarter, and fans were nervous. 

But the Hoosiers showed no fourth-quarter miracles. They completely shut out Miami in the first half, leading them 10-0 by the third quarter. Miami fought hard, but there was no stopping the momentum Indiana had gained. The Hoosiers won their first ever national title, 27-21. For once, Cignetti showed genuine joy during his post-game interview; he attributed their win to his team’s relentless “bend don’t break mentality” while Fernando Mendoza hailed it as a “full-circle moment.”

While the upcoming years of Indiana Hoosiers football will never be fully set in stone, the 2025-2026 season changed the future trajectory of college football. It taught the world that a team’s reputation does not define them and that any team is capable of becoming champions. It gives other underdog teams hope for seasons to come. Now, when someone mentions Indiana sports teams, their football team is not forgotten. It is cemented in history as one of the best teams to ever have existed. Curt Cignetti will continue to lead his team with purpose and grit, and the world will be eagerly watching what the Hoosiers do in years to come.

References

cfbstats.com – Fernando Mendoza 2025 Player Statistics – Indiana Hoosiers. (2025). Cfbstats.com. https://cfbstats.com/2025/player/306/1179696/index.html

ESPN Internet Ventures. (n.d.). Indiana hoosiers 2024 regular season NCAAF schedule. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/84/season/2024

Meyer, C. (2026, January 20). Indiana was the worst team in college football history. now it’s playing for a CFP title. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/01/19/indiana-football-worst-team-college-football-cfp-title/88164466007/

Niziolek, M. (2026, January 15). Best of the Curt Cignetti quote machine as Indiana football coach. Courier & Press; Indianapolis Star. https://www.courierpress.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2026/01/15/indiana-football-coach-curt-cignetti-quotes-best-moments-google-me/88176637007/