If football fans pay any attention to college football, even as a Purdue fan, it is impossible to ignore the Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoosiers shocked the nation in 2024 and have continued to dominate the BIG Ten ever since.
When head coach Curt Cignetti came to Indiana in 2024 from James Madison University (JMU), the Hoosiers had just come off a rough three years with records including 2-10 in 2021, 4-8 in 2022, and 3-9 in 2023. Indiana University had only won three conference games in the previous three years combined. Michael Cohen of Fox Sports said as soon as Cignetti was handed the microphone, he was met with applause from hopeful Indiana fans. “Hey, look,” Cignetti said, removing his left hand from his pocket and raising it like a preacher. “I’m super fired up about this opportunity. I have never taken a back seat to anybody and do not plan on starting now (Fox Sports, 2024).” Cignetti said this to show that he has never sat back and watched, but has taken control of the teams he coached. Cignetti said he “does not plan on starting now,” meaning he is confident that he could turn around the Indiana football program.
Curt Cignetti is not new to winning. In 2008, when he was a recruiting coordinator under Nick Saban at the University of Alabama, Cignetti helped build the team that would win a National Championship in 2010. He also coached National Football League (NFL) quarterbacks, including Phillip Rivers and Russell Wilson, when he was the quarterback coach for North Carolina State. Most recently, he was the head coach of JMU, where he had a record of fifty-two wins and only nine losses during his four seasons as head coach.
The Hoosiers have started 9-0 for the last two seasons thanks to Curt Cignetti. Before he arrived in 2024, the last time the Hoosiers had nine wins in an entire season was in 1967 when they finished 9-2 under John Pont. This 2025 team looks to be even stronger than the 2024 team, Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt said, “It’s hard not to believe that Curt Cignetti’s squad has improved in Year two.” Klatt pointed out the quarterback upgrade, saying, “Mendoza is better than (Kurtis) Rourke, and Rourke was really good. This is not to take anything away from Kurtis Rourke. Mendoza is made for this system.” Fernando Mendoza has been one of the best quarterbacks in the nation through the first few months of the season. Mendoza’s performance has made him a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.
According to ESPN analytics, in only ten weeks, Mendoza has passed for 2,114 yards and 25 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He has also rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns. According to Alex Bozich, an editor of Indiana University’s sports website, Inside the Hall, “Mendoza leads the country in passing touchdowns, ranks second nationally in quarterback rating and is fifth in completion percentage.” Fernando has a completion percentage of 72.3% and a passer rating of 185.2, which is very good. According to FanDuel and DraftKings, Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson are the current co-favorites to win the Heisman Trophy through week ten.
No Indiana football player has ever won the Heisman Trophy, and no Indiana football team has ever been ranked second in the country. Sports Illustrated said that Indiana football has broken the “glass ceiling” these last two seasons under Curt Cignetti. It will be interesting to see the Hoosiers compete in the BIG Ten Championship versus the Buckeyes of Ohio State in Indianapolis on December 6. The Hoosiers will also be competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) College Football Playoff for the second year in a row. Can the reigning champs of the BIG Ten and all of college football, the OSU Buckeyes, take another championship? Or will the Indiana Hoosiers win out the rest of the year and get their first BIG Ten and National Championship in program history?
