Hoosiers Daily News: Where ESPN’s Bill Connelly projects Indiana football in 2026

Hoosiers Daily News: Where ESPN’s Bill Connelly projects Indiana football in 2026

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Hoosiers Daily News: Where ESPN’s Bill Connelly projects Indiana football in 2026
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 19: Head Coach Curt Cignetti of the Indiana Hoosiers walks the sidelines during the Indiana Hoosiers versus the Miami Hurricanes College Football Playoff National Championship Game Presented by AT&T on January 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Indiana football’s two year rise to the top of the sport culminated this past January when the Hoosiers defeated Miami, winning the program’s first national championship.

How do you follow that up? Well, ESPN’s Bill Connelly has some thoughts.

His SP+ system sees the Hoosiers slipping ever so slightly in 2026, falling to third in the Big Ten and fifth nationally. The team lacks the returning production that made the 2025 roster so intriguing. SP+ projects Indiana’s offense at 9th nationally and its defense at 6th, giving the Hoosiers a 32.8% chance to win 11+ games.

Connelly lists Indiana’s matchups against Ohio State, Michigan and Washington among his five best games per SP+ rating between the teams and Josh Hoover as one of his ten favorite transfers.

[Read Bill Connelly’s full Big Ten preview]

Here’s what you need to know about the Hoosiers today.

ICYMI on The Crimson Quarry

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