Eighty years. That's how long Indiana football waited to see an undefeated season again. The last time the Hoosiers accomplished the feat, World War II had just ended, Harry Truman was in the White House, and Bo McMillin was roaming the sidelines. Fast forward to 2025, and Curt Cignetti's squad has done what generations of Hoosier fans only dreamed about, a perfect 12-0 regular season and a ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.
This isn't just a good season. This is the best season in Indiana football history.
The 100th Old Oaken Bucket Game: A Statement Win
On a frigid Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium, the No. 2-ranked Hoosiers left absolutely no doubt. Indiana demolished archrival Purdue 56-3 in the coldest home game in Boilermaker history, capping off a perfect regular season and clinching the program's first-ever Big Ten Championship Game appearance.
The victory came in the series' 100th trophy game, a milestone made sweeter by Indiana hoisting the Old Oaken Bucket for the second consecutive year. Last season's 66-0 shutout marked the most points Indiana had ever scored in a Bucket Game. This year's 56-3 beatdown proved it was no fluke.
Kaelon Black opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run, and the onslaught never stopped. Fernando Mendoza scooted 7 yards for another score, Roman Hemby punched one in, and Indiana finished with 355 rushing yards, their second-highest total of the season and sixth 300-yard rushing game of 2025.
With the win, Curt Cignetti became the first Hoosiers coach since Bo McMillin in 1934-35 to win his first two matchups against Purdue.
Connecting 2025 to 1945: Indiana's Football Legacy
To understand the magnitude of this moment, you have to go back to 1945. That year, under head coach Bo McMillin, Indiana went 9-0-1 and won the Big Ten Championship outright, their first conference title. The achievement earned McMillin the title of Man of the Year from the Football Writers Association. The Hoosiers finished ranked No. 4 nationally after shutting out Purdue 26-0 in the season finale.
Indiana's only other Big Ten title came in 1967 when John Pont led the Hoosiers to a 9-2 record and a co-championship shared with Purdue and Minnesota. That team earned a trip to the Rose Bowl, Indiana's first and only appearance, where they fell to USC 14-3. The Hoosiers finished ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll.
Since then? Fifty-eight years of waiting. No conference titles. No championship game appearances.
The 2025 Hoosiers have achieved what no Indiana team has done before: a 12-0 regular season record, a 9-0 mark in Big Ten play, and the program's highest-ever ranking at No. 2 in both the AP Poll and College Football Playoff rankings.
The Cignetti Effect: From 3-24 to 12-0
When Indiana hired Curt Cignetti away from James Madison University in December 2023, the program was in shambles. The Hoosiers had gone 3-24 in Big Ten play from 2021-2023, including a combined 9-27 overall record during that stretch. Indiana football was, by most measures, one of the worst programs in Power Four football.
Cignetti changed everything. His first season in 2024 produced an 11-2 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff. Impressive as that was, it was only the beginning.
Indiana's Curt Cignetti named AP Coach of the Year
In 2025, Indiana started under the radar, winning its first five games before cracking the AP Poll at No. 23, the first time the Hoosiers had won their first five games since 1967. Then came signature wins: a 63-10 demolition of No. 9 Illinois, a 23-15 road victory at Oregon's Autzen Stadium, and the game that cemented Cignetti's team as legitimate title contenders, a 27-24 comeback win at Penn State.
"I don't think I can put it in words how much this means," Cignetti said after clinching the Big Ten Championship Game berth. "When I got here, nobody thought this was possible. Now we're no longer Cinderella."
HeisMendoza: Fernando Mendoza's Historic Season
At the center of Indiana's transformation is quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Cal transfer who has gone from two-star recruit to Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
The numbers are staggering: 73.0% completion rate, 30 touchdown passes (an Indiana single-season record), just five interceptions, and 2,641 passing yards. Add in 216 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, and you have the most complete quarterback season in program history.
"He's a great leader," linebacker Rolijah Hardy said. "I feel he's the best quarterback in the country. He shows it by his play."
The Penn State Drive: A Heisman Moment
If there was one drive that defined Mendoza's season, and possibly his Heisman campaign, it came on November 8 at Beaver Stadium. Trailing Penn State 24-20 with under two minutes left, 80 yards from the end zone and no timeouts, Mendoza orchestrated a 10-play masterpiece.
He threw for 87 yards on the drive alone, surviving pressure and delivering strike after strike. The drive culminated in a toe-tap touchdown catch by Omar Cooper Jr. that will live forever in Indiana football lore. Final score: Indiana 27, Penn State 24.
"There are a lot of games that I've been punched in the face, not literally, but some adversity," Mendoza explained. "When they give you a jab, you duck. You might get hit by the jab, but you're going to give them an uppercut and knock them out."
Chasing Anthony Thompson's Legacy
Indiana has never had a Heisman Trophy winner. The closest any Hoosier has come was running back Anthony Thompson, who finished ninth in voting in 1988 before finishing second in 1989, losing to Houston quarterback Andre Ware in a close vote. The only other Hoosier to crack the top five was Bill Hillenbrand, who finished fifth in 1942.
Mendoza is now the betting favorite to bring the bronze statue to Bloomington for the first time. Students have taken to chanting "HeisMendoza" during home games, and the campaign has gone national.
When asked about the Heisman hype, Mendoza keeps his focus narrow. "I never thought I'd be in this moment. I've got to be grateful for it and keep on chugging because all that matters is Purdue." Now, with Purdue in the rearview, all that matters is the Big Ten Championship.
What's Next: The Big Ten Championship Game
Indiana will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, December 6 at 8:17 p.m. ET for the Big Ten Championship Game. The opponent will be determined by the outcome of the Michigan-Ohio State game, but regardless of who lines up across from them, the Hoosiers will be playing for their first outright Big Ten title since 1945.
A win would almost certainly lock up a first-round bye in the 12-team College Football Playoff and potentially position Indiana for a national semifinal. For a program that went 3-24 in conference play just three years ago, it's a remarkable turnaround.
The game will air nationally on Fox, with streaming available on the Fox Sports app and Fubo.
Win Tickets to the Big Ten Championship Game!
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How to Enter:
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This Is Indiana's Year
Eighty years between undefeated seasons. Fifty-eight years since the last Big Ten title. Thirty-six years since Anthony Thompson nearly brought home the Heisman. Indiana football has waited a long time for a season like this.
Now, with Fernando Mendoza leading the charge, Curt Cignetti calling the shots, and an entire state behind them, the Hoosiers have a chance to do something truly special. December 6. Lucas Oil Stadium.
Go Hoosiers.
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Sports
Saturday, November 29, 2025
This article was drafted by an AI model based on human-provided inputs and sources, and then verified, edited, and finalized by a human editor.
