Indiana Football Finally Has Arrived — And This Time, It’s For Real

by Kobey Ronk, October 15, 2025

Source: AP Photo

We all know how Indiana’s football season ended last year, a loss to Notre Dame in the playoffs. This was Indiana’s second loss of the season, and it was to a ranked team. Indiana’s first loss of the season came to Ohio State, another ranked team. The Hoosiers were on major fraud watch last year, and they did not beat the allegations. Everyone was saying “they only beat up on bad teams” and “They can’t win the big ranked game.” That was true even in this current season, until Saturday. Indiana got a dominant win against #3 Oregon 30-20, in Eugene, and this changed College Football’s outlook on the Hoosiers.

I know what you’re probably thinking, “what about the ranked win against #9 Illinois?” Yes, that was a good ranked win. Many people were saying however that Illinois should not have been ranked that high, and the game was also at home. A win is a win, but Illinois is not a known powerhouse either. Oregon on the other hand, that is a statement win. Oregon is a known college football program. Coming off a BIG10 Championship title last year, many were having the Ducks in title contention this year. This win beat the fraud allegations from last year and has put some respect on Cignetti and the Hoosiers brand. Indiana was the laughing stock of the College Football world since the dawn of the sport. Sure they had a few good seasons here and there, but they were viewed as one of the worst Power5/4 programs if not out of all D1 College Football. Cignetti has completely turned the culture around at this program. Fans are packing stadiums and the team is getting national spotlight. It’s almost like the Hoosier basketball fandom that was once an unstoppable force has moved over to the football team. There’s an argument for why Indiana Basketball fandom is at an all time low, but that argument is for a different time.

The difference between the team this year and the team last year comes from the quarterback and expectations. Kurtis Rourke was a great quarterback and culture piece, don’t get me wrong. He helped pave the way for Hoosier football fandom and set a good foundation. Fernando Mendoza however, that guy is a stud. Fernando Mendoza is currently the 3rd favorite for the Heisman and has 1,423 passing yards on the season. He’s 4th in passing touchdowns with 17, while his wide receiver 1 Elijah Sarratt is tied 2nd in touchdowns with 7. The issue with this team last year was the offense did not show up in big games. Safe to say that is not the case this year. The team looks more confident in making decisions and big plays. Cignetti had to be humbled a little bit last season to gain his confidence and back up his ego.

The Hoosiers are part of the top 3 teams that don’t have another ranked game this season as of to date. They did have Penn State in Happy Valley, which at the beginning of the season was expecting to be a slaughter. They fell off however, and even got rid of James Franklin. Their falloff after the OT loss to Oregon might need to be studied. Back to back losses against UCLA and Northwestern was not ideal, and it cost James Franklin and cost Drew Allar his season. Besides that, they have what should be easy wins against Michigan State, UCLA, and Wisconsin. Maryland on the road will be harder than what it seems. Malik Washington is a good quarterback and Maryland isn’t bad this season. I’ll be at that game live so if they lose I have to accept I’m bad luck. Then there’s Purdue, which should be a cake walk. Purdue will have nothing to play for though and it’s a rivalry, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they come out hitting hard.

With that being said, Indiana controls their own destiny. I think this team is ready to make that jump after last year and I’m hopeful for a semi-final appearance. If they play it right, we’ll see them in the BIG10 championship. They have the college football spotlight, and the respect they have now is earned. What once was a sad story of college football is now emerging as a powerhouse with the right coach and system. Cignetti has said he wants to stay at Indiana, so we shouldn’t see a breaking news move this offseason. If there is, I’ll probably be offline for a while.