In a season that’s flipped every prediction and rattled the college football world, the Indiana Hoosiers are suddenly staring down a shot at a national championship. Just a few months ago, no one would have dared to dream it—Indiana, with its long, often forgettable football history, playing for a title?
But here they are, led by second-year coach Curt Cignetti, charging into the College Football Playoff (CFP) national championship game against Miami. It’s been a wild ride, and honestly, it’s hard not to root for them.
Let’s rewind a bit. Indiana football has, for decades, mostly been the team other Big Ten schools penciled in as a win. Their last outright Big Ten title? 1945. Nine wins in a season? Not since 1967. Back-to-back bowl games? That hasn’t happened since 2015-16, and consecutive winning seasons go all the way back to the late ’80s.
Given all that, the thought of Indiana being on the verge of a national title is pretty wild. It’s not an exaggeration to say this would be the most unexpected championship in the modern Bowl Subdivision era.
Indiana’s Historic Transformation
So, what’s changed? In a word: Cignetti. He’s been a game-changer. Just his second year, and suddenly Indiana’s a bulldozer, rolling over teams and making a real case for being the best squad of the Playoff era.
They’re unbeaten, and now they face Miami. If they pull off the win—well, it’ll be a story for the ages.
Previous Unlikely National Champions
Indiana’s run brings to mind a handful of other teams that shocked everyone by grabbing the national title. Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest surprises in college football history.
2010 Auburn
Two words: Cam Newton. Auburn was coming off a rough 5-7 season under Tommy Tuberville before Gene Chizik took over, bumping them to 8-5 in 2009. Then, in 2010, they landed Newton—a future Heisman winner—and everything changed.
The Tigers went 14-0, but not without drama. Seven games were decided by single digits, including a wild Iron Bowl win (28-27) and a nail-biter against Oregon for the championship (22-19). Funny thing is, this was their only ranked finish from 2008-12; the rest of those years, they went a combined 24-26.
2000 Oklahoma
Oklahoma, for all its history, hit a pretty low point in the ’90s. Three straight losing seasons under John Blake from 1996-98. But Blake did recruit a lot of the players who would make the difference.
Bob Stoops took over and, in just his second year, led the Sooners to a national title. Quarterback Josh Heupel, a transfer from junior college, ran the offense, and linebacker Rocky Calmus anchored the defense. They started the year at No. 19 and ended up with what might be the most surprising of Oklahoma’s seven claimed championships.
1990 Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech split the 1990 national title with Colorado. Not exactly a powerhouse in those days. Under coach Bobby Ross, the Yellow Jackets went 2-9 in ’87, 3-8 in ’88, then started to turn things around with a 7-4 mark in ’89.
The 1990 team didn’t show up in the rankings until October and didn’t crack the top five until late December. After hammering Nebraska in the Citrus Bowl, they claimed their share of the title. The years that followed? Not so great—just 19-27 over the next four seasons.
1984 BYU
BYU finished 1984 as the only unbeaten team in the country. Only four teams had fewer than two losses that year, so BYU benefited from a perfect storm and edged out No. 2 Washington in a tight vote.
It was the fifth time in six years that coach LaVell Edwards had won at least 11 games, but this was the big one. BYU remains the last team outside the current Power Four to snatch a national title.
1983 Miami
Miami had a couple of good years in the ’50s, but from 1968-78, they managed just two winning seasons. Things started to click for coach Howard Schnellenberger: 9-3 in 1980, 9-2 in ’81, then 7-4 in ’82.
The 1983 team got crushed by Florida in the opener, losing by 25 points, and didn’t even break into the Top 25 until October. Ranked No. 5, they faced Nebraska in the Orange Bowl and stopped a last-minute two-point try to win. That moment kicked off a Miami dynasty that would dominate college football for the next 20 years.
1976 Pittsburgh
Between 1964 and 1972, Pittsburgh football was, frankly, a mess—four one-win seasons, 22-68-2 overall. Then came Johnny Majors. The Panthers improved to 6-5-1 in 1973, 7-4 in 1974, and 8-4 in 1975.
In 1976, Heisman winner Tony Dorsett powered Pitt, rushing for 1,948 yards in the regular season and another 202 in a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
1965 Michigan State
Michigan State was a force in the early ’50s but lost its way by the late ’50s and early ’60s. Coach Duffy Daugherty started integrating the roster, and that made a real difference.
They went from 4-5 in 1964 to a combined 19-1-2 over the next two years. The 1965 squad ended up atop the US LBM Coaches Poll and shared the title, even though they lost the Rose Bowl to UCLA.
1962 USC
USC ruled the 1920s and ’30s but hit a rough patch after World War II. Things got interesting when John McKay took over in 1960. His first two years? Just 8-11-1.
But in 1962, USC started the season unranked, climbed the polls after beating Duke, and went on to win their first title since 1939 with a wild Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.
Looking Ahead
The CFP national championship game between Indiana and Miami starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, January 19. It’ll take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
This matchup feels historic, doesn’t it? Both teams have clawed their way up, and it’s honestly wild to see them here on college football’s biggest stage.
If you’re curious about Indiana’s wild ride this season, there’s a great article on the USA Today website with more detail.
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