Indiana Has Become One of College Football’s Most Underrated Teams

It’s not too early to ask now that Indiana can point to evidence.

At No. 6 in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, are the Hoosiers … underrated?

Two years ago, the above statement would have been utterly ridiculous.

And yet, as we sit here on the brink of the 2026 season, a strong case can be made.

Plenty of people who vote in the poll clearly think so, considering the Hoosiers received 14 first-place votes. That’s twice as many as any other team got, aside from No. 1 Ohio State (38).

That Indiana is below Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame despite having comfortably more first-place votes than all of them speaks to how the Hoosiers are being perceived by some other voters.

Maybe the new Purdue athletic director accounted for half of the votes.

Regardless of what program it is — even one which had the most losses in college football history at this time last year — it’s kind of wild that’s the case given Indiana’s recent track record.

The Hoosiers are the defending national champions, coming off the first 16-0 season in modern college football history. They’re 27-2 in head coach Curt Cignetti’s first two seasons, one game better than Oregon for the best record in college football over that span.

Now, it’s hard to imagine Indiana remains as good in 2026 after losing Heisman-winning quarterback and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza.

Wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. was also a first-round pick to the New York Jets, and a program-record eight Indiana players were drafted in total.

One of the main areas in which Cignetti originally built his roster, via players he brought with him from his previous job at James Madison, is no longer very feasible two years into his tenure.

In theory, though, the on-field success should help make Indiana a more appealing destination for plenty of other top players in the transfer portal.

The Hoosiers didn’t land the top QB in this offseason’s portal class. Sam Leavitt went to LSU.

But Mendoza wasn’t the top QB in last year’s portal class, instead ranking as the No. 4 quarterback and No. 22 overall player in 247Sports’ rankings.

This year’s transfer QB, Josh Hoover from TCU, is eerily similar as the No. 5 quarterback and 23rd overall transfer.

Indiana’s portal haul ahead of the 2025 season ranked 25th in the 247Sports team rankings.

This year’s portal class? Eighth.

So even with some key players gone from last year’s team, one could make a case that this year’s team is more talented, top to bottom.

It’s not easy to get to the top. But it’s even harder to stay there. So that will be the real test this season of what Cignetti has built in Bloomington.

Some people are clearly still doubting him, but you won’t catch me in that camp anymore. Consider me a full-on believer until his team gives me a reason not to be.

Because at this point, especially if things continue to go well in 2026, one has to just wonder if Cignetti has just unlocked some secret he’s hiding from the rest of the college football coaching world.