Two years ago, the Indiana Hoosiers finished a disappointing 3-9 football season, missing a bowl game and firing their coach. Now, the Hoosiers are on top of the college football world with a 13-10 win over top-ranked Ohio State on Saturday to claim their first Big Ten title since 1967 and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff. Fueled by Coach Curt Cignetti and Heisman-favorite Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers have made a drastic comeback, going undefeated in the regular season and showing that they can compete with anyone.
However, the Hoosiers didn’t steal all of the spotlight. Former Center Grove defensive end Caden Curry showed out for the Buckeyes, having one of the best games of his college career. He set the tone on the first play with a huge quarterback hit on Mendoza and finished the game with seven tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and a pass deflection. He helped the Ohio State defense hold the Hoosiers to just 13 points, the lowest they have scored all season.
After hiring Coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison in 2023, there was a lot of speculation and doubt that Indiana would even be close to a contender in the Big Ten. ESPN predicted a win range of 5.3 wins to 6.7 wins for the Hoosiers. Cignetti brought in 13 of his former players at James Madison, including star receiver Elijah Sarrat. The Hoosiers started the 2024 season off with six straight wins but no one believed that this team was a contender. That was until Top 25 Nebraska rolled into Bloomington. The Cornhuskers had allowed just eight touchdowns in the previous six games, and the Hoosiers doubled that total by pummeling them 56-7. The Hoosiers went on to finish the regular season 11-1 with a loss to Ohio State and a trip to the college football playoff for the first time in school history. The Hoosiers suffered a first round loss to Notre Dame, but there was a lot to look forward to in the upcoming season.
This season, the narrative all season long was that the Hoosiers beat on the bad teams and couldn’t compete with the good teams. Indiana pushed those narratives aside as they went into Autzen Stadium in Oregon and took care of business against the No. 5 Oregon Ducks. The Hoosiers continued the historic season as they finished the season 12-0 and earned a trip to the Big Ten Championship where they would get a rematch against the top ranked Buckeyes. All week long, the Hoosiers were picked against and went into the game as the underdogs. The Hoosiers came to play and showed why they deserve the top seed by taking the Big Ten title and spoiling the Buckeye’s perfect season.
Cignetti’s ability to develop talent and build a disciplined team is the reason why the Hoosiers have been so successful and why he has won two- straight Big Ten Coach of the Year awards. This Indiana team is poised and not intimidated by their competition. They have shown discipline on both sides of the ball and shown why they are the most dangerous team in the country. The Hoosiers aren’t a Cinderella story anymore. They are hungry and are real contenders for the national title. With the win in the Big Ten championship, the Indiana Hoosiers have begun a new dynasty in Bloomington.
