What to know about Indiana football in 2026

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These are not your daddy’s Hoosiers. Indiana football will enter the 2026 season with unprecedented expectactions placed upon them in the media. The defending national champions — yes, that actually happened — will bring back a loaded roster full of potential to make another deep run in the College Football Playoff this season. Can Indiana keep this engine running, or are the Hoosiers due for a brief step back this fall?

Here is a quick look at the Indiana Hoosiers heading into the 2026 season.

Quick 2025 Recap

Record: 16-0 overall, 9-0 Big Ten, Big Ten champions, College Football Playoff national champions
College Football Playoff result: Won College Football Playoff national championship game vs. Miami, 27-21

Indiana went on a rampage last season and took no prisoners along the way. Led by Heisman Trophy quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Indiana blew through the competition every week and won key road games against Penn State and Oregon en route to an appearance in the Big Ten championship game. Indiana’s first statement of the year came in a nationally-televised primetime 63-10 rout of No. 9 Illinois in Week 4, but a 30-20 win at No. 3 Oregon a few weeks later really put Indiana in the driver’s seat. The Hoosiers needed the catch of the year from Omar Cooper Jr. from Mendoza with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to escape a massive upset.

Indiana’s postseason run started with a defensive victory over Ohio State, 13-10, in the Big Ten championship game to clinch the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Indiana then routed Alabama in the Rose Bowl, 38-3 and then won a rematch with Oregon in the Peach Bowl, 56-22. Indiana then capped the most magical season in Indiana football history with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami.

Head coach: Curt Cignetti, 3rd season

Record: 146-37 overall, 27-2 with Indiana

Curt Cignetti wasted no time reshaping the way people think about Indiana football. In just two seasons, Cignetti has taken the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff in back-to-back seasons and won a national title last season. He promised wins upon his arrival, and it is clear as day he has delivered. He has exceeded expectations in Bloomington given the program’s history, but Cignetti won’t see it that way.

Cignetti was mentioned as a top coaching candidate for Penn State following last year’s in-season coaching change, and that may have led to Cignetti landing a lucrative re-worked contract to stay with Indiana. Now, he is appearing on the cover of EA Sports College Football 27. What will Cignetti have up his sleeve for an encore this season?

Offensive player to know: Josh Hoover, Quarterback

Replacing a Heisman Trophy quarterback in Fernanando Mendoza is no easy task, but Indiana did quite well with its transfer portal addition of Josh Hoover to fill the void. Hoover comes to Indiana from TCU after a season with 3,472 passing yards and 29 touchdowns with the Horned Frogs in 2025. He sat out of the Alamo Bowl with TCU after deciding to enter the transfer portal following the season.

Hoover was considered one of the top quarterback transfers on the market this past offseason, so Indiana scored a major transfer win with his transfer commitment.

Defensive player to know: A.J. Harris, Cornerback

Here is a familiar name for Penn State fans scouting the Indiana Hoosiers. A.J. Harris transferred to Bloomington from Happy Valley this offseason, although it remains to be seen if he will fill a starting role in the Indiana secondary at the start of the 2026 season. Harris is coming off a season of honorable All-Big Ten accolades with 33 tackles and 1 TFL. Harris joined the Penn State program after transferring from Georgia and immediately became a starter in the defensive secondary with the Nittany Lions.

Does Penn State face Indiana in 2026?

Penn State does not face Indiana during the 2026 college football season as part of the Big Ten schedule. Of course, the Nittany Lions could still potentially face the Hoosiers in a postseason matchup in the Big Ten championship game or in the College Football Playoff.

Penn State is scheduled to visit Indiana in the 2027 season on the Big Ten schedule. Penn State is scheduled to host the Hoosiers again in 2028. Exact dates for these games are to be determined.

Full 2026 Indiana football schedule

Home games in all CAPS.

September 5 vs. NORTH TEXAS
September 12 vs. HOWARD
September 19 vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY
September 25 (Friday) vs. NORTHWESTERN*
October 3 at Rutgers*
October 10 at Nebraska *
October 17 vs. OHIO STATE*
October 24 at Michigan*
October 31 vs. MINNESOTA*
November 7 Bye
November 14 vs. USC*
November 21 at Washington*
November 28 vs. PURDUE*

“*” designates Big Ten Conference game

Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on BlueSky, Threads or any of these other platforms.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What to know about Indiana Hoosiers football in 2026

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