The Indiana Hoosiers are still basking in the glow of a storybook season - a perfect 16-0 campaign capped by a 27-21 win over the Miami Hurricanes to secure the national championship. But in college football, the celebration window is always short. The moment the confetti settles, the focus shifts to what’s next.
And that's exactly where Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt is looking. On a recent episode of The Joel Klatt Show, the veteran analyst rolled out his early rankings for the top five teams heading into the 2026 season.
Indiana made the cut - no surprise there - but they didn’t claim the top spot. Klatt slotted the Hoosiers at No. 3, and his reasoning is rooted in one of the most critical factors in college football: quarterback continuity.
“This is meant to be praise,” Klatt said of Indiana’s placement. “Indiana is gonna be right back at the top of college football again. I couldn’t put them at number one, largely because they don’t have their own returning starting quarterback.”
He’s not wrong. With Fernando Mendoza - the centerpiece of Indiana’s title run and a projected No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick - moving on, the Hoosiers have turned to the transfer portal. Enter Josh Hoover, formerly of TCU, who’s been tapped to lead Curt Cignetti’s offense in Bloomington.
Klatt believes Hoover is a strong fit for the system, but he also acknowledges the challenge of replacing a player like Mendoza, whose poise and production were instrumental in Indiana’s undefeated run.
“I know they didn’t have a returning starting quarterback at the start of this year and won the national championship, I get it,” Klatt said. “I know that Josh Hoover coming in from the transfer portal is gonna fit Curt Cignetti and this offense perfectly.”
Still, even with Hoover’s promising potential, Klatt points out a deeper concern: the loss of veteran leadership and foundational pieces - particularly the core group of former JMU transfers who helped lay the groundwork for this historic season.
“What’s going to be difficult is for them to replace some of those real core JMU transfer guys that have been there throughout the entirety of this run,” Klatt noted.
That’s a critical point. Indiana’s rise wasn’t just about one star quarterback or a flash-in-the-pan season.
It was built on a culture of production over potential - a mantra that’s clearly defined Cignetti’s approach. And while the Hoosiers have earned the benefit of the doubt, repeating as champions - especially with roster turnover at key positions - is one of the hardest feats in the sport.
“They prioritize production over potential,” Klatt said. “We have to trust what they’ve got going on.”
Trust, indeed, will be the operative word as Indiana heads into the 2026 season with a target on its back. The Hoosiers have already proven they can build a winner. Now comes the tougher part - sustaining it.