After a historic turnaround in Curt Cignetti’s first season, Indiana football enters 2025 with unprecedented expectations and national attention. Cignetti, who arrived from James Madison in late 2023 with a hefty contract of $72M, immediately transformed a program long known for its struggles. In his first season, Indiana recorded an 11-win (8 Big Ten) record, achieved its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, and reached No. 10 in the AP Poll, the highest the school had been ranked since 1967. The Hoosiers’ 2024 season featured marquee victories at UCLA, Washington, and Michigan; a throttling of Purdue to take back the Old Oaken Bucket; and a hard-fought playoff loss to Notre Dame that left the program wanting more.
One of the main plots for the upcoming season is the quarterback transition. With All-Big Ten quarterback Kurtis Rourke in the NFL, Indiana looked to Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza to helm the offense. Mendoza, a 6-foot-5 redshirt junior, ranked as one of the transfer portal’s top quarterbacks after he completed 3,004 yards, threw 18 touchdowns, and threw only six interceptions at Cal last year. 247Sports rates him as the No. 5 Big Ten QB and projects him as a future first-round 2026 NFL draft pick.
Talking of Mendoza’s arrival, analyst Blake Ruffino of The Ruffino & Joe Show had some pretty insightful observations. “I believe that Fernando Mendoza is going to actually do some pretty damn good things and might even be one of the candidates outside shot looking in for Big 10 player of the year,” says Blake. Mendoza’s skill set could change everything for the Hoosiers this year. His arm strength and quick release are tailor-made for Curt Cignetti’s up-tempo, aggressive offense, and he liked how Mendoza handled the pressure, especially given the rough offensive line he had to work behind last season.
“I really do believe that they can protect him in every big physical game. They got pushed around and and that too is not an opinion I think of Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. When they could go up against tough opponents, what happened? They could not; they got out-physicalled.” Ruffino’s worries that Indiana will get “out-physicalled” in high-stakes games are right on—and really, the proof is there if you just go back and look at how the Hoosiers performed against these teams.
Beginning with the Irish playoff game. Notre Dame dominated the line of scrimmage from beginning to end, taking a 27-3 lead before Indiana added a few late points to make it seem closer than it turned out to be. Notre Dame’s defense crushed Indiana, and their offense ripped off big plays, like that 98-yard touchdown run by Jeremiyah Love. Indiana’s line simply couldn’t compete with Notre Dame’s physicality, which showed in both running and pass protection.
Against Michigan, it was more of the same. As Indiana eked out a close win at home, the Wolverines’ defensive line was creating all manner of headaches, sacking and stripping the ball away at crucial times. Even when Indiana’s offense was able to move the chains, Michigan’s pass rush resulted in turnovers, such as a crucial interception and fumble that derailed promising drives.
Ruffino’s doubt isn’t just his opinion; the mirror reflection of what happened in those high-profile contests supports it. Indiana’s line has improved, but to allow Fernando Mendoza to excel, it will need to demonstrate that it can compete against the Big Ten’s most physical attacks this season.
Indiana’s fear of being a one-hit wonder
After all the banter about the new QB in town, let’s face it, Indiana football has never been the sort of program fans and writers speak of as a national power. So, when Cignetti arrived and right away took the Hoosiers to a playoff and their best season in decades, it was a wake-up call. Fans rushed the field, the stadium sold out, and Indiana was suddenly on everyone’s lips in the Big Ten. But with all that publicity comes a new type of worry: “Last year was an incredible start,” athletic director Scott Dolson told ESPN. “We are paranoid. We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder.”
Dolson is aware of how quickly college football can turn in your favor. A tremendous season can become a distant memory if you do not follow it up. Teams such as Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame are perennial powers because they reload and not rebuild. Dolson does not desire to remember Indiana as the team that had one magical ride and then dissipated back into the depths of existence.
You can feel the “paranoia” in everything the athletic department is doing at this point. They’re spending money on facilities, working overtime to appease Cignetti, and loading up the roster with high school talent and transfers. Dolson and his staff are all-in on making Indiana football a yearly winner, not just a feel-good tale for one year.
And truly, that is the correct attitude. College football is cutthroat. If you do not keep pushing ahead, you find yourself in the rearview mirror. Dolson’s remark attests he understands. He is not content to simply make history, he is on a mission to alter the culture and expectations for the better. The Hoosiers have had the taste of victory, and now the test is to show they belong at the table annually.
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