Indiana’s 2025 season already lived in rare air, but now it’s sparking a debate that reaches all the way back to one of college football’s most celebrated teams.
The Hoosiers rolled through the year at 16-0 and claimed the program’s first national championship, stacking up nearly every piece of hardware available along the way. Indiana took home the Big Ten Championship, the Rose Bowl, the Peach Bowl and, of course, the title itself. Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman Trophy was the centerpiece of the individual awards haul.
That kind of run naturally triggered the next question: where do these Hoosiers belong in the sport’s all-time conversation? And almost immediately, one comparison kept surfacing - 2025 Indiana against 2019 LSU.
It’s an easy matchup to understand. LSU’s 2019 team was loaded on both sides of the ball, shredded opponents with an elite offense, and backed it up with a defense that could punish mistakes.
Joe Burrow’s Heisman season turned him into a college football legend, and names like Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson were part of a roster that later flooded the NFL. For most people, that group still felt like the safer pick in any hypothetical showdown.
But Game on Paper’s new Matchup Builder throws a wrinkle into that conversation. The advanced college football analytics site uses its model to project games between teams from different eras, including squads as far apart as 2025 and 2019.
And in this case, the numbers lean toward Indiana.
On a neutral field, Matchup Builder gives the 2025 Hoosiers a 1.9-point edge over the 2019 Tigers, with Indiana’s offense projected to be too much for LSU’s defense to contain.
In Other News...
Indiana Faces Uncomfortable Questions After Tim Garl Takes Legal Action
Tim Garls exit has now become a legal fight, and it adds another uncomfortable layer to Indiana basketballs offseason conversation. The longtime former head trainer, who spent 44 years in the role, has filed a lawsuit against Indiana Universitys Board of Trustees and athletic director Scott Dolson, accusing the school of wrongful termination and age discrimination. His case is bolstered by letters of support from notable coaches and former players, underscoring how much his name still carries inside the program.
The suit asks for reinstatement, attorney fees and monetary damages, putting Indiana in the position of defending a decision that reaches well beyond one staff change. Garl says the university wanted to move on from him after decades of service, and the dispute now turns on what was said behind the scenes and why the move was made. For a program that values continuity and tradition, it is the kind of public clash that invites even more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Omar Cooper Jr. Is Already Facing Early Pressure With The Jets
Indianas draft haul this spring was the sort of thing that changes the way a program is viewed nationally, with a record eight players hearing their names called in the 2026 NFL Draft. Fernando Mendoza and Omar Cooper Jr. were both first-round selections, a reminder of how much high-end talent the Hoosiers pushed into the league at once and how quickly their former stars have moved from campus headlines to pro expectations.
Coopers transition, though, has already brought a little early-season pressure in New York. The Jets are counting on him to be part of the passing-game picture this season, but his spot in the receiver pecking order is not settling as smoothly as hoped in training camp, where another young wideout has made a strong case to climb the depth chart. For Indiana fans watching from afar, it is the first real reminder that a promising college resume does not guarantee a clean path once the NFL preseason starts sorting roles. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Transfers Are Already Shaping The Tone Of Fall Camp
Indiana kept building through fall camp as it prepares for the 2026-27 season, and a big part of the early tone has come from the newcomers who are settling in quickly. The Hoosiers are working through player development and team cohesion, and both the running back room and the wide receiver group have already started to reflect that mix of returners and transfers. Turbo Richard, who came over from Boston College, is part of a running back rotation that is giving Indiana more variety, while the receiver unit has leaned on the depth and versatility of players such as Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh.
What stands out at this stage is how smoothly some of those transfers are fitting into the program. Rather than just learning the system, a few are already taking on leadership roles in practice, which is usually a good sign for a camp still taking shape. For Indiana, the hope is that this kind of buy-in carries over once the intensity rises and the roster has to translate offseason momentum into something more durable. [Read more 🡒]