Indiana is already looking ahead to 2027, and the Hoosiers are reportedly trying to line up a power conference non-conference opponent for that season.
Scott Dochterman of The Athletic reported that Indiana football is working to add a Power Four team to its 2027 schedule as the sport moves toward the incoming 24-team College Football Playoff, which is expected to become official. Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson confirmed to The Athletic that talks are underway.
Right now, Indiana’s 2027 non-conference slate includes Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State and Indiana State.
The timing matters because the Big Ten still does not require its schools to schedule at least one power conference opponent in the three-game non-conference window. The SEC and ACC do, and that has been part of the broader discussions around playoff expansion.
Even so, the expansion itself has not been finalized. Still, programs are making plans in advance, and Indiana appears to be among them.
There’s also a longer-running piece to this scheduling approach. Indiana’s effort to reshape its non-conference setup started before Curt Cignetti arrived, including the athletic department’s decision to cancel a previously agreed-to series with Louisville in the final year of Tom Allen’s tenure in 2023.
That move was aimed at creating a more manageable route to bowl eligibility. In the old Big Ten East, Indiana had a brutal yearly grind against Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, and the Hoosiers needed all three non-conference games to go their way to give themselves a realistic shot at reaching six wins. With Rutgers, Maryland and Michigan State on the schedule, plus a Big Ten West crossover, those early wins were a key part of the path.
Then Indiana hired Cignetti. I don’t need to remind you what happened next.
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