The Indiana Hoosiers completed the once-thought impossible task of winning a college football national championship just two years removed from going 3-9 and being a Big Ten Conference basement dweller.
Head coach Curt Cignetti led the greatest turnaround in the sport's history, seeing his team complete an undefeated season at 16-0 (the first such campaign since Yale in 1894) and produce a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback that is likely to go first overall in the upcoming NFL Draft.
So, only one question remains. Can the Hoosiers run it all back in 2026?
Absolutely not. And I'll tell you exactly why that's not a hater's perspective.
Why Indiana won't repeat as CFP national champions
While Cignetti's formula to flip Indiana from bottom feeder to champion was wildly successful in such a short amount of time, the environment that made his experiment possible will foster further parity in college football. That means it is just as likely someone like Purdue or North Carolina could be lifting the CFP trophy in a couple years time.
We all saw Miami, a team that controversially was included in the 12-team bracket in the first place, capitalize on its opportunity and reach the national championship when it was assumed the Hurricanes would fizzle out in the first round. It wouldn't be surprising to see another two unconventional contestants in the final next season.
That being said, we could also be snapped back to reality and see blue bloods like Ohio State, Georgia and Notre Dame dominate the scene again. 2025-26 was a refreshing break from the same rotation of juggernauts vying for the national title.
But the bottom line is, next year Cignetti won't have the same cast of misfits that conjured the perfect storm this season. Indiana's roster contained 30 seniors, many of whom will graduate out or seek further glory in the NFL. QB Fernando Mendoza is one of them and his backup, little brother Alberto, is entering the transfer portal. That leaves Cignetti without a true starting signal caller going into the offseason.
The challenge will be whether he can realistically reproduce the quality of success Mendoza and Co. had on the field and that's been nearly impossible even for the blue bloods. In the last decade, only Georgia has repeated as champions.
Back-to-back CFB champions since 2000
Champion | Years |
|---|---|
Georgia Bulldogs | 2021, 2022 |
Alabama Crimson Tide | 2011, 2012 |
USC Trojans | 2003*, 2004 |
*Via AP. LSU won BCS title.
Indiana's 2026 schedule will feature a rematch with the Big Ten runners-up and 2025 national champion Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 4, followed by back-to-back matchups with USC and Michigan. It'd be shocking to see the Hoosiers go undefeated yet again.
That's not to say another campaign of conquering led by Cignetti wouldn't be welcomed by most fans. Like I said, this year was a rarity and we enjoyed it while it lasted. Now we face the reality that another challenger will inevitably appear but we should be prepared to already recognize their colors. Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened (and could happen again).