Indiana’s Unbelievable Rise: From Afterthought to 16-0 and a National Title
There are Cinderella stories in college football - and then there’s what Indiana just pulled off. The Hoosiers didn’t just crash the party.
They took over the dance floor, rewrote the script, and walked away with the trophy. A 16-0 season.
The first perfect run in the College Football Playoff era. And yes, it’s every bit as wild as it sounds.
Even longtime college football commentator Paul Finebaum, never one to shy away from skepticism, is calling it what it is: one of the most improbable runs in the sport’s history.
“There will be some argument about this being the most improbable, greatest story in college football history,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “But I’m not sure there’ll be a lot to argue.”
That’s a major pivot from where Finebaum stood just a few months ago. Back in October, he openly questioned whether Curt Cignetti - Indiana’s head coach and architect of this turnaround - was more flash than substance.
Now? He’s calling the Hoosiers’ season “breathtaking and gobsmacking.”
And honestly, how could it not be?
Indiana capped off their perfect season with a 27-21 win over the Miami Hurricanes, a game that solidified their place in college football lore. Cignetti, now 27-2 at the helm in Bloomington, has only lost to two teams - Ohio State and Notre Dame - who, fittingly, ended up playing for last season’s national title. That’s elite company, and it puts Indiana’s rise into even sharper focus.
This isn’t a feel-good story about a team catching lightning in a bottle. This is a program that’s built something real - fast.
In just two seasons, Cignetti has taken Indiana from a Big Ten afterthought to the pinnacle of the sport. And in doing so, he’s helped shift the power dynamics in college football.
For years, the SEC was the center of gravity. Every season was framed around who could knock off Alabama, Georgia, or LSU.
But with the Big Ten now boasting the last three national champions, the conversation is changing. The question isn’t “Who’s next in the SEC?” - it’s “Can anyone stop the Big Ten?”
Indiana, of all programs, is now part of that answer.
And that’s the part that still feels surreal. We’re talking about a team that, not long ago, was struggling to stay relevant in its own division.
Now, they’re the gold standard in an era defined by NIL deals, transfer portal chaos, and constant roster turnover. Somehow, Cignetti and his staff have not just kept up - they’ve thrived.
Finebaum summed it up best: “It closed the circle. It sealed the deal.” The coronation on Monday night wasn’t just about one game - it was the culmination of a season that defied every expectation.
How long Indiana can keep this up is a fair question. Sustaining success in today’s college football landscape is harder than ever. But for now, the Hoosiers are on top of the world - and they didn’t get there by accident.
They earned every bit of it.