Indiana football: 3 things to know about North Texas

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Indiana kicks off the 2026 season Saturday with a home contest in which the Hoosiers are the heavy favorites. Curt Cignetti will look to keep the nation’s longest winning streak alive in front of a home crowd that will be celebrating the unveiling of new National Championship signage in Memorial Stadium.

The North Texas Mean Green may not be a true threat to upset Indiana – ESPN gives them under a 2% chance of victory – but they are a team coming off of a good 2025 season that is looking to keep it rolling in 2026. Early in the year, they could easily cover the big spread in Vegas this week.

It’s also college football. Crazier things have happened. Cignetti will not be taking this game lightly, and neither should we.

Here are three things to know about North Texas:

[Download the new SB Nation app on the App Store or Google Play!]

Brand New Team

Virtually nothing about this year’s Mean Green resembles last season’s 12-2 run. Only three players remain from last year’s roster, none of whom were starters last year. North Texas also has an entirely new coaching staff, including Neal Brown, who was a head coach at West Virginia from 2019-2024 before taking over at North Texas.

This is one of the main reasons that I’d be skeptical on the Hoosiers winning as big as some predict them to. Cignetti has been transparent about how it’s been hard to scout this group, comparing them to Indiana in 2024, when we got a new staff and a mostly new roster.

On the other hand, a lot of new players means it could take more time for this team to come together, especially since Brown didn’t bring a ton of his own players. Only two guys followed him from West Virginia to North Texas, plus three more from Texas, where Brown was a special assistant last year.

A Familiar Face

One thing we do know about North Texas is that their starting quarterback is a very familiar name for Indiana fans, Tayven Jackson. Jackson recently earned the starting role after transferring from UCF, where he started 10 games last year.

Jackson played for Indiana as recently as 2024, including a start against Washington that kept Indiana undefeated on the season at 8-0. Having a quarterback that’s played in Memorial Stadium in front of a raucous crowd will be a sure advantage for North Texas, but also something Cignetti has encountered at Indiana.

Last year Indiana hosted Kennesaw State in the non-conference, which featured Dexter Williams II at quarterback. Obviously, Cignetti and Bryant Haines were able to handle that effectively, with Indiana winning that game 56-9.

High Major Transfers

Compared to its overall recruiting ranking for 2026 of 137th, per 247 Sports, North Texas has an impressive transfer class featuring numerous players from high-major football programs. Out of the 49 incoming transfers, 21 have high-major experience, including Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC players.

Not all of these guys put up big numbers at their previous stops, but they’ve still practiced with and against elite players and have been in hostile road environments before. Add in Brown, a coach with over half a decade of head coaching experience at that level, and this could be a dangerous team. Especially by the end of the year.

Whether this group will be a true upset threat week one remains to be seen, but if Indiana can secure the victory, the win could have the chance to age well over the course of the year, which would help the narrative surrounding Indiana’s non-conference scheduling.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos