The state of Indiana is no stranger to underdog stories. Hoosiers and Rudy, two of the most iconic underdog sports films ever made, both take place in the state, and both are based on true stories.
Hoosier nation now has a trilogy.
Indiana University’s football team had been a Big Ten doormat for as long as the conference had existed. Then, athletic director Scott Dolson hired Curt Cignetti as head coach, and Cignetti embarked on the greatest turnaround story in modern college sports. In just his second season, he led the Hoosiers to their first-ever national championship, defeating the University of Miami Hurricanes, 27-21, on Monday night, and completing a perfect season that nobody saw coming. Well, except for Cignetti himself.
It took more than just one person, but Cignetti was the catalyst that eventually catapulted IU to the top of the sport. Here’s a look at some key numbers from an unforgettable season.
16-0
Indiana became the first major college football team to go 16-0 in a single season since Yale in 1894—the caveat being that those Bulldogs didn’t play all 16 games against other colleges and mixed in a few games against “athletic clubs.”
$93 million
Cignetti has signed three different contracts with Indiana: his initial contract in November 2023, an extension worth $8 million per year in November 2024, and then a behemoth extension worth nearly $93 million over eight years in October 2025.
3
Through that last contract, Cignetti is entitled to a good-faith market review and renegotiation that makes him no less than the third-highest-paid Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) coach should the Hoosiers make it to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Thanks to Coach Lane Kiffin’s contract at LSU, Cignetti will be due for another raise shortly.
5
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza became just the fifth quarterback in the last 75 years to win the Heisman Trophy while leading his team to an undefeated national championship. He joins Joe Burrow (Louisiana State University, 2019), Jameis Winston (Florida State University, 2013), Cam Newton (Auburn University, 2010), and Matt Leinart (University of Southern California, 2004) in that club. Mendoza currently has -8000 odds to join Burrow, Winston, and Newton as the first overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
12
Mendoza’s 12-yard touchdown run on fourth down and five, with just under 10 minutes to play, is the most memorable play from the game. The Hoosiers dialed up a designed quarterback run, and the Miami native made a juke move to gain the first down, then powered through multiple would-be tacklers to dive over the goal line for the score.
715
Entering the 2025 season, Indiana’s 715 all-time losses were the most by any program in major college football. Conference foe Northwestern lost its 716th game against USC on November 7, taking the dubious honor from the Hoosiers.
2.5
Indiana’s football budget increased more than 2.5-fold from 2021 to 2024, when it was last reported at just over $61 million. That figure likely climbed even more from 2024 to 2025, with the Hoosiers going all in on Cignetti. The 2024 mark was the first time since at least 2005 that IU has exceeded the median Big Ten football budget.
24
Indiana University is not a stranger to winning national championships, football notwithstanding. The Hoosiers have won 24 NCAA team championships across six different sports, including five in men’s basketball. The last NCAA Championship that IU won was for men’s soccer in 2012, when it defeated Georgetown University.
.798
Cignetti’s winning percentage as a head college football coach ranks among the most impressive in the country. Between Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Elon, James Madison (in both FCS and FBS), and now, Indiana, he’s won 146 of his 183 games. Nick Saban—widely regarded as the greatest college football coach ever—won just a shade over 80% of his games. It’s not the highest mark of all time (Mount Union legend Vince Kehres won over 92% of his games in Division III)—or even in his own conference (Ohio State’s Ryan Day has won 87% of his games)—but considering the circumstances, Cignetti keeps pretty special company.
He wins. Google him.
+10,000
Per SportsOddsHistory.com, Indiana had +10,000 odds to win the national championship in the preseason. No other national champion dating back to the start of the database (2001) had preseason odds longer than +5000. The Hoosiers had the same odds as Florida State, which went 5-7; Nebraska, which went 7-6; and USC, which went 9-4.
$10.90
The amount Cignetti spends every day on his Chipotle Burrito Bowl for his lunch in the office. Chicken, beans, rice, and a side of guac.