Indiana’s National Champion Football Team to Be Honored at Rivalry Showdown vs. Purdue
Indiana fans heading to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall tonight won’t just be treated to one of the fiercest rivalries in college basketball. They’ll also get the chance to celebrate a football season for the ages.
Before the Hoosiers tip off against No. 12 Purdue at 9 p.m., Indiana will honor its national champion football team-the first in school history.
That’s right. Curt Cignetti’s squad didn’t just make history.
They rewrote it.
The Hoosiers went a perfect 16-0, captured the College Football Playoff national title, and in doing so, pulled off one of the most improbable turnarounds in college sports history. This is a program that once held the dubious distinction of having the most all-time losses in major college football.
Now? They’re national champs.
And they didn’t just squeak by. Indiana won by an average of 29.9 points per game.
Let that sink in. Against a schedule packed with heavyweights, the Hoosiers dominated from start to finish.
Leading the charge was Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who orchestrated the offense with poise and precision. Behind Mendoza, Indiana led all Power Four programs in wins over FBS teams with winning records-10 in total. That’s more than Oregon (8), who IU dismantled in the Peach Bowl CFP semifinal, and nearly double the top SEC team, which managed just six.
The postseason run was something out of a movie script. First, they took down No. 1 Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten Championship-holding a Buckeyes offense that averaged over 33 points per game to just one touchdown, and that came off a turnover deep in IU territory.
Then came a 38-3 demolition of Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Followed by a 56-22 blowout of Oregon in the Peach Bowl.
Finally, in the national title game, Indiana traveled to Miami and handled the Hurricanes 27-21 on their home turf. Every step of the way, they looked like the more physical, more prepared, and more complete team.
Fox Sports didn’t hold back in its praise, calling this Indiana football team the greatest all-time turnaround in sports-globally. Not just in college football.
Not just in American sports. Anywhere.
And it wasn’t just Mendoza making plays. This was a deep, balanced roster loaded with contributors on both sides of the ball. On defense, names like Aiden Fisher, D’Angelo Ponds, Rolijah Hardy, Mikail Kamara, Louis Moore, Isaiah Jones, Stephen Daley, Tyrique Tucker, Jamari Sharpe, and Amare Ferrell all made their mark, especially in the biggest moments.
Offensively, Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black powered the ground game, while Omar Cooper Jr., Elijah Sarratt, Charlie Becker, E.J. Williams, and Riley Nowakowski stretched the field. Up front, linemen like Pat Coogan and Carter Smith anchored a unit that gave Mendoza time and space to thrive.
At Saturday’s championship celebration at Memorial Stadium, head coach Curt Cignetti reflected on what this team accomplished and the support they received along the way.
“First I’d like to thank our tremendous fans who have turned out since 2024, this season, but what about the turnout at the Rose Bowl, the Peach Bowl, in Miami - unbelievable,” Cignetti said, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
He went on to credit his players, especially the seniors, for their leadership and character.
“We have a tremendous group of guys... The senior leadership, the makeup of this team, so close, so much of the right stuff,” he said.
Cignetti also acknowledged university president Pam Whitten and athletic director Scott Dolson for their unwavering support. As for what’s next?
“Chapter 3 begins tomorrow,” he said, leaving fans with the sense that this historic run might just be the start of something even bigger.
Tonight, though, is about celebration. A national championship banner will fly in Bloomington, and the fans at Assembly Hall will get to show their appreciation for a team that took Indiana football from the bottom of the record books to the very top of the mountain.