Has Indiana football won a national championship? Hoosiers' bowl history
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Second-year coach Curt Cignetti and Indiana football look to cap off its historic turnaround with an unprecedented national championship when it faces Miami on Jan. 19.
The Hoosiers (15-0) won the Big Ten Conference Championship, won its two College Football Playoff games by a combined 69 points against Alabama and Oregon, and even have the Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Fernando Mendoza. This was all accomplished after finishing 3-9 in 2023 and last winning a bowl game of any caliber in 1991.
Miami, meanwhile, is aiming to return to college football’s elite status. The Hurricanes, who were dominant in the 1980s and won championships in the 1990s and 2000s, haven’t won a national championship since 2001, when it fielded one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
Cignetti is 26-2 in his two seasons at Indiana and is hoping to complete a perfect season when his team travels to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Has Indiana even ever won a national championship? Here’s a look at the Hoosiers’ postseason history:
Has Indiana ever won a national championship?
Indiana has never won a national championship in its history. In fact, it has never reached a national championship game, which started for the 1998 season with the advent of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).
Indiana football bowl record
Indiana doesn’t have an illustrious history compared to most college football programs, especially those competing for national titles. The Hoosiers have an all-time record of 535-714-45, according to its official record book, making them among the most losing programs in college football history.
The same is true for the Hoosiers’ bowl game history, where they have a losing record in the few postseason games in which they have appeared.
Prior to the 2025 college football season, they had only three bowl wins in history. Just this season, they have nearly doubled that total with wins in the Rose and Peach bowls, improving the Hoosiers’ all-time bowl record to 5-11. Their wins came in the 1979 Holiday Bowl, 1988 Liberty Bowl, 1991 Copper Bowl, 2026 Rose Bowl and 2026 Peach Bowl.
The Hoosiers already have two bowl wins this season and could match their all-time bowl win total in one season if it beats Miami in the national championship game.
Indiana bowl game results
Here is a look at the Hoosiers’ bowl game results, with their all-time bowl record listed in parentheses:
- 1968 Rose Bowl: USC 14, Indiana 3 (0-1)
- 1979 Holiday Bowl: Indiana 38, BYU 37 (1-1)
- 1986 All-American Bowl: Florida State 27, Indiana 13 (1-2)
- 1988 Peach Bowl: Tennessee 27, Indiana 22 (1-3)
- 1988 Liberty Bowl: Indiana 34, South Carolina 10 (2-3)
- 1990 Peach Bowl: Auburn 27, Indiana 23 (2-4)
- 1991 Copper Bowl: Indiana 24, Baylor 0 (3-4)
- 1993 Independence Bowl: Virginia Tech 45, Indiana 20 (3-5)
- 2007 Insight Bowl: Oklahoma State 49, Indiana 33 (3-6)
- 2015 Pinstripe Bowl: Duke 44, Indiana 41 (3-7)
- 2016 Foster Farms Bowl: Utah 26, Indiana 24 (3-8)
- 2020 Gator Bowl: Tennessee 23, Indiana 22 (3-9)
- 2021 Outback Bowl: Mississippi 26, Indiana 20 (3-10)
- 2024 CFP first-round game: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17 (3-11)
- 2026 Rose Bowl: Indiana 38, Alabama 3 (4-11)
- 2026 Peach Bowl: Indiana 56, Oregon 22 (5-11)
Indiana football highest postseason rankings
According to its official record book, Indiana has seven seasons in which it finished the season ranked. Here are those seasons, including final record and ranking (via the Associated Press):
- 1945: 9-0-1 (No. 4)
- 1946: 6-3 (No. 20)
- 1967: 9-2 (No. 4)
- 1979: 8-4 (No. 19)
- 1988: 8-3-1 (No. 20)
- 2020: 6-2 (No. 12)
- 2024: 11-1 (No. 10)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Has Indiana ever won a national championship? Hoosiers’ bowl history, best finishes
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