For the first time in program history, Indiana University Football not only advanced to the national championship, but won a playoff game as well. Aside from this year, the program has only had two former playoff appearances, the 1967 Rose Bowl when they lost 14-3 against USC and the first round of the College Football Playoffs, losing to Notre Dame 27-17 last year. Under a new head coach, the former JMU head coach, Curt Cignetti, IU has achieved a record of 27-2 over the past two years. Cignetti is one of two head coaches to win a national title within the first two years with a new team.
Last year, Cignetti led the team to an 11-2 finish and their first playoff appearance in over 50 years. This year, led by 2025 Heisman Winner Fernando Mendoza, IU made a charge deep into the College Football Playoffs.
This year has meant a lot, especially to lifetime residents of Indiana who grew up watching the games.
“I’ve been an IU fan my whole life and I’ve seen the games growing up in an empty stadium. I would never expect and dream that this would actually happen,” IU defensive back, Heath Kizer said.
Kizer was a previous quarterback for North Central and in his career threw for 1227 yards and 8 touchdowns. Kizer now plays football for Indiana University.
“When I first got here, you know, it’s a new coach, so I didn’t really know what to expect,” Kizer said. “I didn’t know how he ran things and as the season got on, I’m thinking we could actually be legit.”
This year, IU faced a much harder schedule and doubts if they would perform to the same level. However, they exceeded expectations finishing the season with a 16-0 record resulting in the title of College Football Playoff National Champions following their 27-21 victory over the Miami Hurricanes.
“Before this next season, I was like, I think we will be better but I don’t know if our record would show it,” Kizer said. “We had a harder schedule, Oregon at Oregon, Penn State at Penn State, Iowa at Iowa. I’ve been continuously proved wrong. So now the expectation is not just to make it to the college football playoffs but of course to win the whole thing.”
Not only is the team full of skill, but they also share strong bonds with each other, a factor which helped lead to their success this season.
“We are so close as a team, I think that is why we are so good,” Kizer said. “All these transfers come in and are surprised about how close we are with each other. It’s not just hanging out in football, we’re also hanging out outside of football, which makes the connection even stronger.”
With the victory over Miami, not only does IU make history winning the first national championship in program history, but Curt Cignetti does as well as he is the first head coach to win the national championship within their first two years since Gene Chizik accomplished this feat in 2010 at Auburn. Needless to say, IU alumni are especially thrilled with the performance that IU has been having recently.
“I was courtside for the IU game against the University of Kentucky when everyone stormed the court and to me, it was just like reliving it. When I first checked social media and I thought back to the tailgating and how now we aren’t just a tailgate school but also a football school,” IU alum Melissa Patchett said.
Even winning a playoff game for the first time in school history is such an eventful moment. There were even a few IU fans that were unsure if the winning was real.
“We haven’t gotten to experience winning like this ever,” Patchett said. “IU Football was so bad for so long so I couldn’t really believe it. I didn’t even celebrate until the very end.”
Students are also thrilled about the experience, with many fans watching the game with friends or family.
“I am very, very happy to be a Hoosier. This win has brought back pride to be a Hoosier,” North Central junior Quinton Gross said.
Gross plays football for North Central and was able to play a game with NC alum Heath Kizer. When IU won the national championship, many students celebrated with their peers.
“I was very happy for [Heath] and a lot of my friends celebrated all together,” Gross said. “I didn’t think that they were going to go this far but I am very happy to see the results of Coach Cignetti.”
These past two seasons have been filled with joy for many IU fans. To see the program that was historically the “loosingest” program get a new head coach and win a national championship in the second year was astounding. Students, alumni, and IU fans around the globe are excited for what the future holds for the Indiana University Football program.
