Let’s clear up some ~myths~ around Indiana football.
IU had 28 players in their last yr of eligibility in 2025.
Yes, it was T-6th most at the FBS level.
But of the 18 FBS teams w/ 24+ players in last yr of eligibility in 2025…
Only 2 (IU, TTU) made the CFP.
IU also did NOT rank Top 10 nat’l in NIL spending in 2025.
Only 5 of those teams made the CFP.
If it was just about age & money…
Everybody would simply go 16-0!
The 2026 #NationalChampionship ft. @CanesFootball & @IndianaFootball delivered:
📈 30.1M viewers, 33.2M peak
🏈 2nd most-watched #CFBPlayoff title game
📺 2nd best cable telecast ever
🏆 Most-viewed non‑NFL sports event since '16 World Series Gm 7
🔗 https://t.co/IFdlYlrxmc
What a thrill to cover IU title.
In a 2-year context, I think this is the most unlikely American sports story of my life: Losingest program ever - 1 conf W in '23, 4 OT's vs Akron - had won 3 bowls EVER.
2 yrs later, 3 "bowl" W's in 19 days, undefeated Nat'l Champs. Amazing.
Indiana did not lose a fumble over its final 1,047 offensive plays and 15 games, only losing a fumble in the first quarter of its season opener 😱
No other team since 2004 has gone more than 12+ consecutive games in a season without losing a fumble 😮
Congratulations to Indiana University and Coach Cignetti on winning their first College Football Playoff National Championship. One of the greatest turnarounds of all time.
You couldn’t really explain Indiana. You just had to see it to believe it. But this team, this title, will forever be real.
My @YahooSports column on the Hoosiers’ championship and the most improbable turnaround in the history of American sports. https://t.co/U0TgO98Uii
Indiana has zero five stars, seven four stars and, according to the 247 talent composite, the 72nd most talented roster in the sport. Three spots behind Boston College. That Cignetti has built a national contender there is astounding. One of the best coaching jobs in my lifetime