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The Indiana Hoosiers had a successful season last year, finishing 11-2 and making their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. They are now gearing up to continue their success in 2025.
The Hoosiers will kick off their season with games against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State before starting Big Ten Conference play against Illinois on Sept. 20. The team’s schedule was a hot topic during Big Ten Media Days.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas on July 22, 2025. (Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images)
Head coach Curt Cignetti explained the decision to cancel a series against the Virginia Cavaliers and also took a dig at the SEC in the process.
“That was a scheduling philosophy that began before I was hired. But I did sign off on it upon being hired, before our first season,” he said. “We picked up an extra home game and play nine conference games. The two best conferences in college football are the Big Ten and the SEC. So we adopted the SEC scheduling philosophy.”
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks on during the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, on Nov. 9, 2024. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
Cignetti continued to discuss scheduling to support Big Ten schools aiming for an automatic qualifier for the expanded College Football Playoff.
“You want to put the best teams in the playoff? Give the best leagues the automatic qualifiers, but make them earn it with play-in games,” Cignetti added. “We wouldn’t be opposed to Big Ten-SEC regular season games every year.”
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks towards the sideline after a timeout against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the fourth quarter during the football game in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The Hoosiers will be led by Fernando Mendoza at quarterback, with Omar Cooper Jr. also returning to the team.
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