As defending National Champions, the Indiana Hoosiers are officially the center of the college football universe.
Curt Cignetti’s voice and likeness are the backdrop for national TV ads now. Less accomplished coaches are bringing him up in appearances that have nothing to do with Indiana. The staff is landing visits and signing recruits of a caliber that had never considered the Hoosiers before.
Never content with resting on his laurels, Cignetti has started to direct the bulk of his attention towards
this coming season, in which he will look to build on the nation’s longest active winning streak after going 16-0 last season. How long can he keep it going?
Despite what Indiana accomplished last season, the Hoosiers are not likely going to be favored to go undefeated next season. Cignetti lost his Heisman-winning quarterback, two top receivers, much of the defensive line rotation and top cornerback to the NFL draft, among others.
That being said, I find myself with a feeling eerily familiar to last summer, when I predicted Indiana would go 11-1, improving on an already miraculous year one.
Like last offseason, Indiana was able to pretty successfully reload from the transfer portal, including adding another highly touted quarterback. Like last season, Indiana is also returning a lot of proven production at the skill positions and up front. And like last season, people are still probably going to favor the Buckeyes when the teams meet on October 17th.
Granted, some things will be different. If Ohio State is favored, it won’t be by much. A potential top-5 matchup should be one of the most electric atmospheres in the history of Memorial Stadium, and the drought against the Buckeyes is over.
Under just about any other coach, I would also worry about how this team will play with a target on its back this year. Beating Indiana will mean something now, even moreso than it did in late 2025, and it won’t be possible to catch the traditional powers off guard after last season’s playoff run.
With Cignetti at the helm, this doesn’t seem like a huge risk anymore. Last year’s team was writing history every week starting with the win in the Big Ten Championship, but only looked more focused as the postseason went on, executing without crucial mistakes and putting opponents on their heels from the first snap.
The most significant difference this year is the fact that Josh Hoover is a bit of a different look behind center compared to Mendoza and Kurtis Rourke, both who came to Bloomington as quarterbacks known for limiting risks and turnovers. Hoover threw more picks last year than Mendoza and Rourke did combined at Indiana.
Having weapons like Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh outside should help, as both could be early round NFL prospects. The backfield is also stacked with Khobie Martin, Lee Beebe Jr., and Turbo Richard, who will punish defenses who sell out to stop the deep ball.
Then there’s the defense, to which Indiana added a talented pair of edge rushers from Kansas State, Chiddi Obiazor and Tobi Osunsanmi. Alongside returning studs like Tyrique Tucker and Amare Ferrell, it’s possible that the defense is more talented than last year’s group.
This has been the blueprint for Cignetti, though, which is what makes this offseason feel so familiar. He’s signed quarterbacks with upside, surrounded them with weapons on both sides of the ball, and lets the team and depth chart come together through the non-conference schedule.
As far as modern college football goes, the standard that Cignetti is now chasing is sustained perfection. Kirby Smart led Georgia t0 29 straight wins from 2021-23, a run that saw the Bulldogs win consecutive College Football Playoffs. With the Big Ten Championship Game and the 12 team bracket, Indiana could top that this year with 32 straight and two titles.
Is this really realistic though? One year of perfection is hard enough to achieve, requiring a series of miracles from Omar Cooper’s toe touch against Penn State to Mendoza’s reach across the goal line to help seal the win over Miami.
At this point, I don’t know what’s realistic for Indiana anymore, but I know better than to doubt Curt Cignetti.
