Indiana Football Wins First National Title at 16-0

The Indiana Hoosiers just made college football history, finishing a perfect 16-0 season with their first national championship ever.

Just two years ago, this seemed impossible. The Hoosiers had never won a Big Ten title since 1967, never beaten Penn State on the road, and never competed for a national championship. Head coach Curt Cignetti changed everything.

The 2025-26 season was a masterclass in resilience. Indiana ranked second nationally in scoring offense at 42.6 points per game and scoring defense at 11.07 points allowed. They crushed Alabama 38-3 in the playoff quarterfinals and proved doubters wrong with every victory.

But the close games told the real story. Down 13-10 to Iowa in the fourth quarter, quarterback Fernando Mendoza drove 76 yards and threw a 49-yard touchdown to Elijah Sarratt for the win. Tied with Oregon late, the defense grabbed two clutch interceptions to secure a 30-20 victory.

At Penn State, where Indiana had never won, Mendoza led a final drive from his own 13-yard line to throw the game-winning touchdown. Against Ohio State for the Big Ten championship, he hit a 33-yard pass on third and six to run out the clock and clinch the title.

The national championship game against Miami delivered another instant classic. Indiana's defense held Miami to just 20 rushing yards in the first half, building a 10-0 lead. Miami's fierce pass rush sacked Mendoza three times, but the Hoosiers refused to break.

When Miami roared back with a 57-yard touchdown in the third quarter, Indiana's special teams answered. Mikail Kamara blocked a punt, and Isaiah Jones fell on it in the end zone to extend the lead to 17-7.

The game's defining moment came on fourth and four from Miami's 12-yard line, clinging to a 17-14 lead. Cignetti called timeout and made the call: go for it. Mendoza ran a quarterback draw, plowing through defenders and diving into the end zone for the touchdown.

"I would die for my team," Mendoza said after the game. "Any player on our team would put their body on the line. It was the least I could do for my brothers."

Cignetti praised his quarterback's courage. "He has the heart of a lion when it comes to competition," he said.

Why This Inspires

This championship represents more than football excellence. It shows what happens when a team believes in each other and refuses to accept limits. Every player who suited up for Indiana this season became part of a story that will inspire Hoosiers fans for generations.

Senior offensive lineman Pat Coogan called Miami's defense "the most physical front I've ever played," but his teammates matched that intensity. Linebacker Aiden Fisher summed up their mentality perfectly: "We came into this game knowing that the more physical team was going to win."

Down six with 1:42 remaining, Miami drove to Indiana's 41-yard line. On first and ten, quarterback Carson Beck threw deep toward the end zone, but Jamari Sharpe leaped to grab the championship-winning interception with under a minute left.

Cignetti told the world he wins and to Google him, and now the trophy case speaks for itself.