The start of Indiana's national title-defending season is less than two months away, as the Hoosiers will begin the new campaign on September 5 against North Texas. As the season draws nearer, preseason predictions continue to make their way around the internet.
Generally speaking, most 2026 projections have Indiana putting forth another impressive season under Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers are widely expected to be among the nation's best teams again in Year 3 of the Cignetti era in Bloomington.
Earlier this week, Athlon Sports released its full bowl projections for the upcoming season. Their projections have the Hoosiers qualifying for the College Football Playoff for a third consecutive season. That would undoubtedly fire Indiana football fans up, but Athlon does not expect the Hoosiers to win back-to-back titles.
Furthermore, the way Athlon has Indiana getting knocked out of the CFP would be nightmare fuel for IU fans around the world.
Athlon Sports' CFP projections hand Indiana tough loss to in-state rival
When the CFP bracket is revealed, Athlon projects that Indiana will earn the No. 5 seed. Having not received a first round bye in the bracket, it's fair to day that Athlon doesn't expect the Hoosiers to post back-to-back undefeated regular seasons.
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However, it would mean that Indiana gets to host a CFP game at Memorial Stadium. Athlon projects that matchup to come against No. 12 Boise State. Athlon has the Hoosiers taking care of business in that matchup playing in front of what would be sure to be a raucous environment in Bloomington.
But after that, Athlon predicts that Indiana's quest for another National Championship will end. To make it even worse, the projections have No. 4 Notre Dame taking down Indiana in the quarterfinals. Seeing the season end with a loss to Notre Dame would sting for all the wrong reasons.
Losing to Notre Dame in the CFP could be nightmare fuel for Indiana fans
Needless to say, there has been some bitterness between fans of the Fighting Irish and Hoosiers over the last two seasons.
Indiana and Notre Dame met back in the first round of the 2024 CFP in South Bend. We all know how that contest went, as Notre Dame picked up a 27-17 win. The Irish went on to play in the National Championship Game, but ultimately fell short to Ohio State.
To this day, that is the last loss that the Hoosiers have suffered on the gridiron. Last year, Cignetti led IU to a perfect 16-0 season that culminated in Indiana's first-ever national title.
The results of the last two seasons have only intensified the in-state rivalry between the Hoosiers and Fighting Irish. The two programs are competing on the recruiting trail, for bragging rights in the state, and both have high expectations heading into the new season. A CFP matchup between the two schools would be sure to create plenty of fireworks, and a Notre Dame win would sting for Hoosier fans for a while.
In the Athlon projections, Notre Dame then falls to Ohio State after beating Indiana. Ohio State then beats Georgia in the title game.
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