There's no denying that Curt Cignetti has the ability to give the Indiana Hoosiers plenty of staying power among the best teams in college football. After leading the Hoosiers to a Big Ten title and National Championship last season, Cignetti has re-vamped IU's roster with 17 transfer portal additions and a top-20 recruiting class in the country.
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The 2026 Hoosiers will have plenty of new faces on the roster, but Indiana is still firmly among the handful of teams that could realistically win a national title next season. IU's 2026 win total projection is the highest in the Big Ten and tied for the 3rd-highest in the country, but oddsmakers are torn when it comes to Indiana's National Championship chances.
Oddsmakers torn on Indiana's 2026 National Championship odds
The start of the 2026 college football season is still about six months away, but several sportsbooks already have multiple futures bets available. Among them are odds to win the National Championship, and different platforms have different expectations for Cignetti and the Hoosiers.
DraftKings Sportsbook is extremely high on Cignetti's team for 2026, as the Hoosiers are considered the odds-on favorites to win it all next season. With odds of +700, Indiana is tied with Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Texas for the top spot on National Championship odds boards.
However, other sportsbooks aren't as certain about the Hoosiers' title chances. More separation emerges between the top teams in national title odds board on FanDuel, and the Hoosiers aren't seeing as much love there compared to DraftKings.
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On FanDuel, Indiana has the 4th-shortest odds to repeat as National Champions in 2026. Ohio State is the natty favorites with odds of +550, while Texas (+700) and Notre Dame (+750) are also listed ahead of the Hoosiers.
On BetMGM Sportsbook, the Hoosiers fall in the No. 5 spot on National Championship odds boards, with Ohio State (+600), Notre Dame (+700), Oregon (+700), and Texas (+750) ahead of IU.
The disagreement among sportsbooks is interesting to see. Indiana is 27-2 with a pair of CFP appearances, a Big Ten title and a National Championship over the last two seasons with Cignetti at the helm. The Hoosiers have found elite success without a bevy of 5-star recruits on the roster, and took down multiple blue blood programs during their incredible title run last season. Even with plenty of roster turnover, Cignetti should be expected to have the Hoosiers right in the middle of another CFP run in 2026.