The new college football season is here, and the Indiana Hoosiers continue to bring plenty of excitement to Hoosier fans everywhere. With Curt Cignetti leading the way, the Hoosiers have established themselves as a national powerhouse with a 27-2 record over the last two seasons––including a perfect 16-0 campaign that culminated in a National Championship last season.
At this point, one would think that the doubters and naysayers waiting for Indiana to fade away would have run out of material. Yet, that hasn't been the case. The skepticism remains, and the Hoosiers continue to face doubters heading into the 2026 season. Fans across the country aren't expecting an Indiana CFP appearance, while media members and analysts continue to question Indiana's ability to go back-to-back. That needs to change.
Experts aren't expecting an Indiana national title repeat
Heading into Week 1, a panel of ESPN college football analysts made their official national title picks for the 2026-27 season. The roundtable featured 12 of the network's most prominent college football media members. Not one of them picked Indiana to win the national title.
Notre Dame was the most common championship pick among the group. The Fighting Irish received five of the 12 picks. ESPN's roundtable also saw three writers pick Ohio State, two pick Oregon, and two pick Texas. Needless to say, they aren't too confident in Indiana's repeat chances.
The same goes for On3. On Friday, On3 released the national title picks for a handful of its college football analysts. Only one picked the Hoosiers.
I'm not going to sit here and say that every analyst out there needs to pick Indiana. But just one? That seems extremely peculiar given what Cignetti has done over the last two years. Not only that, Cignetti has restocked Indiana's roster with plenty of talent and experience. The Hoosiers are more than capable of making another deep CFP run, and a consecutive national title is within the realm of possibility. Here's why.
Indiana is capable of winning it all again this season
Winning back-to-back National Championships is a daunting task, but the Hoosiers have what it takes to make it happen. Cignetti took over the program with the most losses in college football history. Since then, he's gone 27-2 and delivered a back-to-back CFP appearances, a Big Ten title, a Heisman Trophy winner, and a National Championship. That proven track record speaks for itself, and the days of doubting what Cignetti can do in Bloomington should be long gone.
Game-by-game predictions for Indiana Football's title-defending 2026 season
Heading into 2026, Cignetti retains his entire coaching staff. That is a rare feat coming off a national title. Usually, coordinators and assistant coaches on a National Championship-winning coaching staff get poached by other schools. Not this time. Indiana's coaching staff continuity is extremely valuable, and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines as two of the best in the business.
While the Hoosiers lost plenty of production to the NFL Draft, Indiana brings back multiple key contributors from last year's title team. On offense, key returners include WR Charlie Becker, LT Carter Smith, RB Khobie Martin, C Bray Lynch, and LG Drew Evans. On the defensive side, Indiana brigns back DTs Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino. Linebackers Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones are also back, as are CB Jamari Sharpe and S Amare Ferrell.
The Hoosiers should be elite in the trenches. Four of Indiana's five starting offensive linemen are fifth-year seniors. On defense, the Hoosiers return four of their top-five sack leaders from a season ago. That kind of returning production and veteran experience is unbelievably valuable.
Cignetti also put forth a strong showing in the transfer portal once again. Indiana boasts the No. 1-ranked portal class in the country according to On3. The class is led by former TCU QB Josh Hoover, who perfectly fits Cignetti's winning formula when it comes to transfer QBs. Hoover has thrown for nearly 10,000 passing yards in his 31 career starts, and is familiar with the RPO-heavy style IU wants to run. Other key portal additions include WR Nick Marsh, EDGE Tobi Osunsanmi, EDGE Chiddi Obiazor, and RB Turbo Richard.
Put it all together and the Hoosiers have legitimate National Championship potential this season. The season isn't played on paper, but it's impossible not to love the position that Indiana is in entering Year 3 of the Cignetti era.
Add us as a preferred source on Google