I still can’t believe where we are. The Indiana Hoosiers will play for a national championship in football. Even typing that sentence felt weird.
I’ve watched in disbelief all season as my alma mater’s once-moribund football program laid waste to its opposition, en route to a No. 1 ranking and a 15-0 record. This season, the Hoosiers have won the biggest game in program history four times. Despite all of those accomplishments, I'm still not sure how to celebrate. I’ve been saying all season that it’s an “I don’t know what to do with my hands” feeling whenever they score a big win.
In my years as a student in Bloomington, Indiana won 12 football games total. In the past two seasons, they’ve reeled off 26. Head coach Curt Cignetti has taken what was the losing-est team in college football history and turned it into a powerhouse. No one outside of the head coach’s office believed this was even remotely possible.
When I went to IU, tailgating was the sport we dominated. Every Saturday home game saw thousands of fans pile into the parking lots and grass fields adjacent to Memorial Stadium to spend their entire day partying. Football was an afterthought, as only a fraction of the revelers would even make it into the stadium. Far fewer than that would stick it out for all four quarters. Games were nothing short of depressing.
My, how things have changed.
Indiana gifted fans a moment of pure unbridled joy
On Jan. 9, the Hoosiers faced Oregon in the Peach Bowl, and something magical happened. The College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between the two Big Ten foes was supposed to be the Ducks’ chance for revenge after a 30-20 Indiana win at Autzen Stadium in October. Oregon fans were loud in their predictions that they would get it right this time. From the first play of the game, it was clear Cignetti and Co. wouldn’t let that happen.
Ducks quarterback Dante Moore took the opening snap at his own 20-yard line and dropped back to pass. He stared to his left, waiting for receiver Malik Benson to break open, before unleashing a dart toward the sideline. Indiana’s All-American cornerback D’Angelo Ponds read the play like a book, jumped the route and intercepted the pass before sprinting 25 yards to the end zone to give the Hoosiers a perfect start. The party was just getting started.
As cameras panned to the crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it was a raucous sea of red. That celebration was a result of more than just a brilliant play. It was a level of jubilation never before felt among Indiana football fans over the past 139 years. Years of defeat, depression, and inadequacy were wiped away in an instant. In the world we currently inhabit, moments of pure, unbridled joy are rare. Every Indiana fan on the planet experienced one at the same moment on as Ponds raced untouched across the goal line.
While Oregon responded with a touchdown on the next drive, for once Indiana fans had confidence everything would be fine. And they were right. After the Ducks tied the game 7-7, the Hoosiers reeled off 35 unanswered points to punish Dan Lanning’s squad. It was a party at the Peach Bowl, and every Hoosier was invited.
After that victory, a confidence in the program has welled up among the Indiana faithful. There’s a sense that no matter what, Cignetti and his boys will figure it out. We have the best football team in the nation, and they’re unstoppable.
The Hoosiers aren't your usual college football juggernaut
While this team is reaching juggernaut status, it’s easy to relate to them. Anyone who has ever felt slighted or looked down on can identify with these Hoosiers.
This is not a group of superstars with a sure-thing head coach. Cignetti was overlooked for coaching opportunities for years. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza was a two-star recruit. Ponds is an All-American, but the 5-foot-9 corner only had a handful of offers coming out of high school and committed to James Madison. Star receiver Elijah Sarratt played at FCS-level Saint Francis (Pa.) as a freshman. Star defensive lineman Stephen Daley played for 0-12 Kent State in 2024. The roster is littered with players who were overlooked or told they weren’t good enough for this level.
The team is an Island of Misfit Toys that has come together to do something special. The players and the team are easy to root for. That makes a great story even better.
Heading into the CFP championship against Miami, Indiana fans are confident. Maybe for the first time in the program’s history. There are nerves, but for once Hoosiers believe in their football team.
I’m still not sure how to handle it.