How Indiana ‘struck gold’ and started reshaping traditional narratives around college football

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two years ago, suggesting Indiana would be a legitimate national title contender would have gotten you laughed out of any serious college football conversation.

Today, the Hoosiers’ dominance has experts rethinking everything they thought they knew about what’s possible in modern college football.

On the latest episode of Buckeye Talk, the hosts engaged in a debate: Is Indiana’s rise to elite status a sustainable model that other programs can follow, or a temporary alignment of perfect circumstances destined to regress?

“Indiana struck gold and realized it. Struck gold and then invested in it, right? Because how many Curt Cignetti’s are out there that you can go, ‘Oh, everybody go get their Curt Cignetti,’” co-host Stephen Means said, pointing to a perfect storm that’s difficult to replicate.

The discussion highlighted how Indiana has completely shattered expectations about what’s possible for traditionally unsuccessful programs. Their wins against Illinois, Iowa and Oregon – all respected programs – forced even the most skeptical observers to reconsider.

Yet not everyone on the podcast was ready to anoint the Hoosiers as a permanent fixture among college football’s elite. Andrew Gillis expressed reservations about Indiana’s long-term viability at the highest level.

“What happens in a playoff setting when they have to play Ohio State the week after they play Oregon,” Gillis asked. “… I don’t know if they have the, ‘Hey, we can match up week in, week out, talent wise, depth wise, physicality, strength,”

This skepticism drew pushback from Means, who argued that Indiana is being unfairly judged based on historical perception rather than current performance.

“I think if Indiana was not a historically abysmal college football playoff program, you would not be saying, ‘Let me see it.’ You would not be holding last year’s losses to the teams who played in the national championship game against them,” Means said.

The debate touches on a fundamental question reshaping college football: In an era of NIL deals and transfer portal movement, can elite coaching and strategic investment overcome traditional recruiting disadvantages and program history?

Indiana’s model suggests the answer might be yes.

What makes Indiana’s story particularly compelling is how quickly the transformation has happened. Two years ago, they were just another Big Ten afterthought. Now, they’re beating traditional powers and positioning themselves for a College Football Playoff run that would have been unimaginable just months ago.

For fans of underdog programs everywhere, Indiana represents the ultimate hope – proof that with the right coach, the right investment and the right moment in college football’s evolution, even the most historically unsuccessful program can rise to championship contention.

Here’s the podcast for this week: