Indiana football will enter the 2026 season with plenty of respect, just not quite the top-tier billing it earned a year ago.
The Hoosiers, fresh off a historic run under Curt Cignetti that ended with a 16-0 record and the program’s first national championship, are listed at 9-1 to win the 2026 title, according to DraftKings. That gives IU the sixth-best odds in the country, putting it just outside the group of preseason favorites.
Ahead of Indiana are co-favorites Ohio State and Notre Dame at 6-1, followed by Texas at 13-2, Oregon at 15-2 and Georgia at 17-2. Miami, the team IU beat in the 2025 championship game at Hard Rock Stadium, sits right behind the Hoosiers at 10-1.
The rest of the top 10 includes LSU at 17-1, Texas Tech at 22-1, and Alabama and Texas A&M tied at 25-1.
Ohio State remains at the front of the pack for the second straight preseason, and the Buckeyes will get a crack at Indiana in Bloomington on October 17.
The Big Ten picture also shows Indiana near the top of the league race. Ohio State leads the conference odds at 9-5, with Oregon next at 12-5 and Indiana third at 13-5.
USC follows at 16-1, then Michigan at 17-1 and Penn State at 22-1. Washington is listed at 24-1, Iowa at 42-1, Wisconsin at 135-1, Nebraska at 150-1, Illinois at 160-1, UCLA at 170-1, Minnesota at 200-1, Northwestern and Michigan State at 500-1, Rutgers at 600-1 and Purdue at 1,000-1.
Indiana opens the regular season against North Texas on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. FOX will televise the 12 p.m. ET kickoff.
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 🡒]