Indiana opens Week 2 ranked No. 6 in the country, a sentence that would have been unimaginable three years ago. Head coach Curt Cignetti has turned the Hoosiers into a legitimate national contender, and Saturday’s noon Eastern game against North Texas is another step in a schedule designed to keep Indiana in the College Football Playoff mix.
Cignetti’s second year in Bloomington has picked up right where the first left off. Indiana went 11-1 in 2024 and made the 12-team playoff, losing to Notre Dame in the first round. The 2025 season saw the Hoosiers finish 10-2. Now 2026 is about proving the whole thing is sustainable.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza took over as the starter for this season after arriving via the transfer portal from Cal. Mendoza was one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal and has already looked dominant in Week 1’s blowout of Old Dominion. His arm strength gives Cignetti’s offense a downfield element it lacked last year.
The offensive line was a major offseason focus. Indiana returned three starters and added two transfers, and the group has been physical in early action. Running back Elijah Green has been a home run threat every time he touches the ball. The receiver room is deep with veterans and one exciting freshman in Jonah Miller.
The defense is the identity. Cignetti brought in coordinator Bryant Haines from Pittsburgh, and the front seven has been a nightmare for Big Ten opponents. Preseason All-American linebacker Aiden Fisher is the leader of a group that ranks top five nationally in most defensive categories.
North Texas is 1-0 after opening the year with a win over UTEP. The Mean Green are a legitimate Group of Six team, and head coach Eric Morris has built a fast-paced offense that could give Indiana’s defense a different look than most Big Ten opponents provide.
The betting line is Indiana minus 24.5 with a total of 51. Public money has been on Indiana at the number, but sharp bettors have taken the under, expecting the Hoosiers to play their starters into the third quarter and grind out a win rather than run up the score.
The bigger picture for Indiana is playoff positioning. Every close win against a mid-tier opponent hurts the committee’s perception. Every blowout builds the resume. Cignetti has been open about needing quality wins in and out of conference, and games like this are the ones that separate legitimate contenders from resume-padders.
Kickoff is at noon Eastern on FOX. Indiana should win by three touchdowns, and if Cignetti’s team looks the part, the November schedule that includes Ohio State and Michigan starts to feel very interesting.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
