Week 1 didn’t waste any time handing out answers, and a few of them came in loud.
Indiana may have found its next passing-game machine right away. In its season opener against North Texas, the Hoosiers rolled to a 52-16 win, and the new Josh Hoover-led attack looked ready to keep humming after Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman Trophy run.
On Hoover’s first pass in an Indiana uniform, he hit Michigan State transfer wideout Nick Marsh on a back-shoulder throw that Marsh snagged with one hand for a touchdown. Hoover later found Charlie Becker for another score.
Marsh and Becker are both viewed as potential first-round picks in next year’s NFL draft, and with Hoover now in the mix, Indiana’s aerial game already looks dangerous. Hoover, after all, has more career passing yards and touchdowns than any other quarterback currently, and if Week 1 is any clue, the Hoosiers might be even more explosive through the air than they were a year ago.
Miami had its own instant chemistry on display. Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah arrived with a reputation for being elite, and the only real question was how quickly that would show up in Coral Gables.
It showed up immediately against Stanford. On the first play of the game, Mensah found Malachi Toney streaking down the sideline for 48 yards.
Two plays later, they hooked up again for a touchdown. Toney finished with 12 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns, which was the best single-game receiving performance in program history.
If that connection stays hot, Miami has a case as one of the nation’s top threats.
LSU also made a statement, and it came in a big one. Lane Kiffin’s first game as LSU’s head coach was against Clemson, a team trying to rebound from a 7-6 season.
Instead, LSU took control from the opening whistle and never let go. Quarterback Sam Leavitt, the Arizona State transfer, played like the version that broke out in 2024, while running back Dillin Jones gave the Tigers a major boost on the ground.
Clemson ended up taking the worst loss of Dabo Swinney’s coaching career. It’s only one week, but LSU looked the part of a team ready to chase a national championship right out of the gate.
The season is still brand new, and college football has a way of turning certainty into chaos fast. But after Week 1, Indiana, Miami and LSU all left behind more than a little smoke.
In Other News...
Isiah Thomas Just Framed Curt Cignetti In A Way Hoosiers Fans Will Feel
Isiah Thomas spent his Indiana years learning under Bob Knight, so when he speaks about what coaching looks like in Bloomington, Hoosiers fans tend to listen. During an appearance on FOX Big Noon Kickoff, Thomas drew a direct line between Knights basketball approach and Curt Cignettis work with the football program, pointing to the kind of no-nonsense foundation both men build around.
Thomas framed the comparison around fundamentals, saying Knight and Cignetti both demand the basics done the right way, from avoiding turnovers to blocking and tackling. It is the sort of parallel that lands well around Indiana, where Knights influence still looms large and Cignetti is trying to carve out his own place by leaning into the same hard-edged standard. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Defensive Rotation Just Answered Two Early Questions
Indianas season opener against North Texas did more than pad the scoreboard in a 52-16 win. It also offered an early glimpse at how the defensive staff is sorting out its rotation, with snap counts and PFF grades helping clarify who is leading the way up front and on the edge. Tyrique Tucker, Mario Landino and Joe Hjelle handled the bulk of the work at defensive tackle, while Chiddi Obiazor and Tobi Osunsanmi were the first two names at end, giving the Hoosiers a clearer picture of their initial front-line plan.
The picture is a little messier in the secondary, where injuries forced changes in the cornerback mix and left some of the depth chart more fluid than Indiana would probably like this early. There were also tackling concerns to clean up, along with a mix of strong and uneven individual grades across linebacker, cornerback and safety, so the performance offered both reassurance and a few reminders that the rotation is still settling in. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Fans Just Got A Painful Reminder Of What Left
When Michigan State went through coaching changes, Marsh made the move to Indiana after spending the 2024 and 2025 seasons at wide receiver for the Spartans. It was part of a broader transfer influx for the Hoosiers, who have been busy reshaping the offense with new pieces at several spots as they continue building around a deeper, more flexible roster.
Indianas additions include quarterback Josh Hoover from TCU, running back Turbo Richard from Boston College and guard Joe Brunner from Wisconsin, giving the program a clear sign of how aggressively it has worked the portal. For Michigan State fans, Marshs departure is another reminder that the roster churn did not stop with the coaching transition, and the Hoosiers are among the teams ready to benefit from it. [Read more 🡒]