The Hoosiers did it.
To complete perhaps the most remarkable program turnaround in college football history, coach Curt Cignetti led the Hoosiers to a 27–21 win over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship on Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium. The victory secured Indiana’s first national title in program history and capped off a perfect 16–0 season.
Led by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at quarterback, the Hoosiers cruised through the regular-season schedule with a 12–0 record, escaping with close wins over Iowa and Penn State but otherwise demolishing every opponent that stood in their way. Indiana went on to defeat defending national champion Ohio State 13–10 in the Big Ten title game, a win that officially stamped the team’s reputation as a national powerhouse in college football.
Earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, Indiana dominated Alabama 38–3 in the quarterfinals and crushed Oregon 56–22 in the semifinals. That punched the Hoosiers’ ticket to the CFP title game, where junior defensive back Jamari Sharpe’s interception of Miami quarterback Carson Beck in the final minute clinched one of the most improbable championships in college football history.
Entering the 2025 season, Indiana was the losingest program in major college football history with 715 losses in more than 130 years. Five months of near-perfect football later, the Hoosiers became the first team to finish a season 16–0 since Yale in 1894—and now can call themselves national champions for the first time.
To celebrate Indiana’s rise to national champions, Sports Illustrated is releasing a commemorative issue magazine. The special edition can be purchased here for $15.99, and it will be available on newsstands in Indiana next week.
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- Legendary Indiana Radio Voice Calls National Title-Clinching Interception
- Indiana Fans Serenade Hoosiers With Moving 'Fernando' Rendition After CFP Win
- SEC Now Riding Longest National Championship Drought in Decades
- Fernando Mendoza's Mom Had Funny Line About Her Son’s Legendary TD Run vs. Miami
- Indiana’s 16-0 Season Could Not Be More Unexpected Considering Program's History
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Celebrate Indiana’s National Championship With Sports Illustrated’s Commemorative Issue.
