Curt Cignetti Makes Surprising Admission on Indiana's Championship Defense

Sep 05, 2026 at 01:56 PM EDT

Indiana is the reigning college football champion, but one might think otherwise based on head coach Curt Cignetti's recent admission about his Hoosiers squad.

Cignetti and Indiana officially kicked off their season as the No. 6 team in the polls, a slight drop from last year's top spot. They entered Saturday afternoon's game against North Texas as a heavy favorite, but Cignetti's pre-game assessment of his team was eye-opening.

"I'd like to think we're good and okay, but I don't really know," Cignetti said while speaking with ESPN's "College Gameday" crew on Saturday.

That's not the most confident statement when it comes to defending the championship, but they no longer have the services of last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza.

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Mendoza has since moved on, becoming the NFL's No. 1 pick for the Las Vegas Raiders. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers started TCU transfer Josh Hoover as QB1 in this season's first matchup, who connected with Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh on a touchdown in a first-half drive.

As of this writing, Indiana held a 24-6 lead in the first half, with Hoover completing 7 of 8 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Turbo Richard had the third on a first-half rushing play.

Cignetti's personality continues to lend itself to the sort of statements he makes about his teams. He rarely gets too excited about them unless they're playing in the CFP and winning the College Football Playoff National Championship.

If this team defies his expectations, it could be a different story. It would certainly be a surprise to see Indiana contend without a player like Mendoza as their quarterback.

Saturday's season opener gave them an easy enough opponent early on the schedule, but Cignetti realizes that will change in the coming weeks. On Oct. 17, they'll play Big Ten rivals Ohio State, giving Indiana an early measuring stick for how good, or not so good, they are.

As of this writing, Cignetti and Indiana are sixth in the odds to win the CFP National Championship at +900, trailing top contenders that include the No. 1 Buckeyes, the SEC's Texas Longhorns, and Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame team.

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