Curt Cignetti has spent two years at Indiana doing the one thing that matters most: winning. He opened his first press conference by saying, “It’s pretty simple: I win.
Google me.” Since then, he’s backed it up.
Indiana’s turnaround came fast in year 1, when Cignetti guided the Hoosiers to 11 wins and a College Football Playoff berth in 2024. Then came 2025, and the ceiling somehow moved again. Indiana ran the table at 15-0, claimed a Big Ten Championship, and finished with a National Championship.
That’s why the preseason AP Poll placement has raised eyebrows. On the eve of the 2026 season, the defending champs are sitting 6th. For a coach whose track record is built on results, that looks like a slight.
There are reasons voters may be cautious. Indiana lost Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the roster isn’t coming back intact.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly has the Hoosiers at 56% returning production, which ranks 80th among 138 FBS teams. Still, this is not a team starting from scratch.
Indiana also landed the 8th-ranked transfer portal class, according to 247 Sports, helped by the NIL boost that followed the program’s recent success.
That’s the tension here: is losing a quarterback enough to push a defending national champion down to 6th, even when the roster has been reinforced in the portal?
History suggests that’s a rare spot for a reigning champ. Since 2010, only two defending national champions have opened the next preseason ranked 6th or worse in the AP Poll.
LSU was 6th in 2020 after losing Joe Burrow and a Pro Bowl-level wave of talent to the NFL. Michigan checked in at 9th in 2024 after JJ McCarthy, Jim Harbaugh, and 13 draft picks moved on.
Indiana’s placement also stands out when measured against the sport’s traditional giants. Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State, programs with deep NFL pipelines and the kind of reputations Indiana still doesn’t have, have never finished worse than No. 3 in the AP Poll after winning a national title.
That’s the heart of the argument: Cignetti’s résumé now looks more like those programs than like Indiana’s past. The polls, though, still seem to be treating the Hoosiers like something less.
The advanced numbers are closer to the respect Cignetti has earned. Bill Connelly’s SP+ has Indiana at No. 5, and the Sagarin rankings put the Hoosiers at No. 4.
So yes, there’s a case that Cignetti should feel disrespected. The only question left is whether he turns that into fuel for another title run.
In Other News...
Indiana Is Betting Big On Josh Hoover For One Critical Reason
Indianas quarterback plan took an important turn in early January when Josh Hoover arrived from TCU, giving Curt Cignetti another experienced option to shape the offense around. Hoover comes with real college seasoning after three seasons in Fort Worth, including multiple starts and enough game action to prove he is far beyond the usual transfer-project label.
Cignetti has made it clear he wants a quarterback who can step in and lead, which is why Hoovers track record matters so much to the Hoosiers. Indiana is looking for a steady hand under center, and the appeal here is obvious: a passer with production, experience and a profile that invites the same kind of optimism the program attached to Fernando Mendoza. [Read more 🡒]
Nico Radicic Is Already Crucial For Indiana And Still Has More To Prove
Since Curt Cignetti arrived in 2024, Nico Radicic has quietly become one of Indiana footballs most dependable weapons, the kind of specialist whose value shows up in tight games and then fades back into the background. He has been highly accurate on extra points and has converted most of his field goals, giving the Hoosiers a level of stability at kicker that is easy to overlook until the pressure rises.
That reliability mattered most in the 2026 National Championship game, when Radicic drilled a 35-yard field goal late to help extend Indianas lead. Even with that kind of moment on his resume, there is still a layer of unfinished business for him, especially as he works to improve from longer range while carrying Lou Groza Award watch-list expectations into the next stretch of his career. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Uses These Indiana Games For Something Bigger Than Wins
Indianas early non-conference games have not always looked like the kind that turn heads on a national stage, but for Curt Cignetti and his staff, they serve a larger purpose. Against Florida International and Old Dominion, Indiana has treated those matchups as a laboratory of sorts, using them to test ideas, sort out player roles and see what actually translates once Big Ten play begins.
One of the clearest examples has been the way the Hoosiers have worked to tap into Fernando Mendozas mobility while also keeping trusted targets like Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. involved in the ways that have already proven useful. The point is not to pile up blowouts or chase style points in September. It is to leave those first few games with answers, even if the scoreboard looks more ordinary than the programs bigger ambitions. [Read more 🡒]