In 2023, The Indiana Hoosiers’ football team was near rock bottom. They finished with a 3-9 record and a singular conference win. They purged their team staff, bringing in up-and-coming head coach from James Madison University, Curt Cignetti, to try and correct the program’s course. During his introductory press conference, Cignetti gave his now-famous remark: “I win. Google me.” Two years later, Cignetti is more than a winner; he’s a champion.

The reason this comment from “Coach Cig” was particularly gutsy is because the Hoosiers have a horrifically bad football program. Despite having 127 seasons to add wins to their resume, they rank a dire 128th in all-time winning percentage among teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Success in football for the Hoosiers is made even more difficult by how strong their conference, the Big Ten, regularly is. The last weeks of Indiana’s schedule often has them running a gauntlet against powerhouses like the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines.

However, Cignetti wasn’t lying. During his time as head coach of the James Madison University Dukes football team, the team made the decision to move from the Football Championship Division to the significantly stronger FBS. Despite having to take on even stronger teams, the Dukes rolled through nearly every team they faced. Cignetti accepted the Indiana job, leaving James Madison with a statement 11-1 record in his final season there.

All things considered, his job at Indiana wasn’t significantly different than it was at James Madison. Ordinarily, a larger institution means he has a way to draw in elite transfer players, but attracting players to a bottom feeder like Indiana is difficult. The players he brought in were underrecruited players from lower levels of college football who were looking for the opportunity to play on the biggest stage they could, as well as 13 players from James Madison. When the 2024 season came around, Cignetti and Indiana quickly made their name known not just with their 10-0 start, but by regularly slaughtering every team they played. In the 2024 season alone, the Hoosiers put up 40 points or more in eight games, maxing out with a 77-3 win over the Western Illinois Leathernecks. The team’s only losses came to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish — the eventual playoff runner-ups — and the Ohio State Buckeyes — the eventual champions.

Indiana quickly reloaded their roster for 2025, most notably bringing in a quarterback transfer from California-Berkeley, Fernando Mendoza. Although he was not very well known at the time, Mendoza was a perfect fit for the Hoosiers. Not only did he check the very specific boxes Coach Cignetti looks for in a quarterback, but Mendoza’s brother Alberto was already the backup quarterback in Bloomington. 

The 2025 season began the same as the season prior, with the Hoosiers pulverizing their first three opponents, outscoring them 156-23. Their first real test was their Week Four matchup with the ninth-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini. Undaunted, Indiana embarrassed Illinois 63-10, singlehandedly knocking them back to rank 23.

The Hoosiers kept rolling. Aside from scares in Weeks Five and Ten against the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions respectively, Indiana looked invulnerable. They finished off the regular season with a 56-3 dismantling of the Purdue Boilermakers, and trotted into the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State with a spotless 12-0 record. Indiana’s get-back game against the Buckeyes was more a battle of the team’s defenses than their offenses, with the game going into halftime with the Hoosiers trailing 6-10. Indiana’s only second-half score was when Mendoza was able to find receiver Elijah Sarratt with a 17-yard pass to get the lead early in the third quarter, which ended up being enough thanks to a shutout defensive performance from the Hoosier defense. Indiana advanced to the playoffs with their 13-10 victory.

Mendoza, Cignetti and the Hoosiers were back to typical form for their first two games of the playoffs. They faced little resistance from the powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide, winning 38-3 off the back of a dominant rushing game from Kaelon Black. They faced the Oregon Ducks next, though the game was all but over by halftime given Indiana’s 35-7 lead. The teams traded blows in the second half, but Indiana advanced to the championship game with their 56-22 win.

The championship game had them squared up with the Miami Hurricanes, who were at an immediate advantage with the game being coincidentally hosted in their own stadium. However, Fernando Mendoza entered the matchup with a major chip on his shoulder. A Miami native himself, the Hurricanes never gave Mendoza a shot coming out of high school. He had the ultimate chance to prove himself to the school that never gave him the light of day.

The game started much like the Ohio State game; Indiana entered the half up 10-0 thanks to a goal-line push and a field goal from Nicolas Radicic. Miami punched back in the third quarter with a 57-yard running touchdown from Mark Fletcher Jr. for their first score of the game. Indiana recovered the momentum after blocking and recovering a Miami punt to score, but the Hurricanes were awake now. Fletcher Jr. scored another touchdown right as the fourth quarter began, bringing the game within three. Indiana absolutely needed to score on their next possession to keep the game out of reach for Miami. A pair of 15-yard plays brought Mendoza and the Hoosiers to their own 40-yard line, but were stymied by Miami’s run defense to bring up fourth and five. They went for it, and receiver Charlie Becker answered Indiana’s prayers with a championship-saving 19-yard catch. The Hoosiers chipped their way to Miami’s 12-yard line where they were stuck with a tough fourth and four. Cignetti called for a quarterback draw, and Mendoza answered. He muscled his way for the 12 yards they needed, going airborne to break the plane.

However, the Hurricanes still had time to respond. They stormed downfield and 18-year-old Malachi Toney scored to finish their two-and-a-half minute drive. Indiana was back in the driver’s seat, playing as safe as they could to burn time if Miami were to get the ball again. After working their way to be 35 yards from the end zone, the Hoosiers came up to another fourth and four. Cignetti opted to kick a field goal, placing their championship hopes in the defense that brought them to the championship. Miami took the field and hustled their way into Indiana’s territory with 52 seconds to go. They decided to go for the knockout blow by throwing deep down the sideline, but Indiana’s Jamari Sharpe was there to intercept the underthrown pass, sealing the 27-21 championship win for a team that was a laughing stock just three seasons ago.

Today, when you heed Coach Cignetti’s advice and Google him, you’ll see a message at the top of the page reading “Yup, he won.” In an era where the rich teams only seem to get richer with five-star talent and donors dumping millions into big programs, The Indiana Hoosiers have proven you can get it done with strategy, not firepower.