When Indiana welcomed Curt Cignetti to their football program, they did not just hire a coach — they made a statement.
“It’s pretty simple, I win. Google Me.” Cignetti said at his first press conference as Indiana’s new coach back in 2023.
Many fans thought of the statement as cocky and arrogant but have since retracted their statements. This comes following the hoisting of the National Championship Trophy by Indiana earlier this week.
With the football program dating back to the 1890s, they were not always successful; they had no National Championships until this year.
For a program struggling so much for so long, it was time for a change.
Cignetti built the program focusing less on stars and top talent, and more on developing a roster to become one cohesive unit. To put into perspective, the Hoosiers did not have a single five-star player on their roster and still walked away with the Natty. This may change the way coaches look for players in the future as it has now proven success does not come from talent alone.
They quickly found a breakthrough with their new coach going 11-1 last season, before falling to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoffs.
Kicking off the 2025 season, the Bloomington program started No. 20 in the AP preseason poll but their loss column remained empty.
This season, the squad was led by eventual 2025 Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. The star became Indiana’s first Heisman winner before helping the program to their first National Championship.
The path they had to go through — the toughest in the country.
The program started the season against the easier out of conference opponents, winning their first three games by 133 points. Moving into Big Ten play, the Hoosiers manhandled No. 9 Illinois 63-10. This helped the team jump eight spots to sit at No. 11.
Two weeks later, they would face their toughest regular season opponent when they traveled to Oregon to play the No. 3 ranked Ducks. The game was close, but Indiana pulled away winning 30-20 to prove to fans that they were, indeed, a new program this year.
They continued dominating conference play ending with a perfect 9-0 conference record before squaring up against defending national champion No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. The game was low scoring, ending with a missed field goal by the Buckeyes to hand Indiana their first Big Ten title since 1967.
Next up, was the post season, where they secured the No. 1 seed before waiting almost four weeks till their matchup against No. 8 Alabama. The Tide stood no chance with Indiana cruising to a comfortable 38-3 win in the Rose Bowl. Next, a familiar foe in the Peach Bowl as No. 5 Oregon stood in their way. The Ducks defense stood no chance with Mendoza throwing for five touchdowns and only three incompletions. The Hoosiers easily cruised into the National Championship, winning 56-22.
Their final opponent, the underdog of the playoffs, No. 10 UMiami.
With the Hurricanes barely qualifying for a spot this postseason, most did not see them making it past the second round. They first had to take down No. 7 Texas A&M on the road where they snuck away with a 10-3 victory. Next up, the defending National Champions Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. With Miami’s defense coming up big with two interceptions, the Hurricanes found themselves another win closer to the title game. All they had left to do was beat Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl. The game was one of the best, kept close through four quarters before Miami’s quarterback Carson Beck led the offense on a game winning drive, running the ball in himself for a 3-yard touchdown with just 18 seconds left.
The National Championship was another classic despite Indiana never trailing. Miami chipped away at the lead multiple times before falling behind 21-27 with under two minutes left.
Miami had one chance.
Could they have a second straight game-winning drive and secure the Championship on their home turf? They quickly made their way down the field before setting up for a 1st & 10 at Indiana’s 41. Beck would drop back looking downfield for Keelan Marion, before Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe snatched the game-sealing interception.
The wait was finally over. Indiana won a National Championship.
The season was perfect ending with Indiana on top — now the Hoosiers wait to write the next chapter.