With a national spotlight and increased fanfare, IU football is focused on going 1-0
- Ian Plaskoff
- 46m ago
Curt Cignetti is four days away from his third season opener as the head coach of IU football.
In his first season – the 2024 campaign – expectations were modest. Ahead of the second season in 2025, he was tasked with proving that a College Football Playoff berth in year one was not a fluke. Now, he has the challenge of defending a national championship after a perfect 16-0 season.
There will be no shortage of celebration on Saturday afternoon as Indiana’s tremendous accomplishments are displayed when the Hoosiers host North Texas.
Indiana will reveal new signage for its national championship win. FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” will be on-site, broadcasting the game on national airwaves. Tickets have been sold out for weeks. There will not be an empty seat in Memorial Stadium.
Anticipation is high. Stakes are high. Indiana is the preseason No. 6 in the AP top-25, after all.
While it may not seem like it, game one of the 2026 season will be more of the same than not for Cignetti and the Hoosiers.
“I think our whole thing’s always been keeping the main thing the main thing and controlling the controllables,” Cignetti said Monday afternoon at his weekly press conference. “And it’s all about preparing to the best of our ability and putting it between the white lines against the first opponent. And that’s why today’s an important day and tomorrow’s an important day. And we’ll focus on that and have the right mindset and respect for the challenge that’s forthcoming. And play like we wanna play, our brand of ball.”
The Indiana “brand of ball” has not changed over Cignetti’s time at Indiana.
The Hoosiers play fast, physical and relentless. They play smart, disciplined and poised. Each play has a life of its own. They are not affected by success or failure. From play one to play 150, each play is treated with the same magnitude regardless of the situation.
Cignetti may rattle off these one-liners often, but they become more visible on the field as the season develops. He is looking for his new group to build from fall camp and play the philosophy early.
“This is when it really counts,” Cignetti said. “I believe you learn about your team every week. Every time you go out there and play a game, you learn a lot about your team. So, what’s done is done. This is a new football team and we have a chance to be pretty good, but we gotta do it.”
In the first two season openers under Cignetti, Indiana came out flat.
In 2024, the Hoosiers led only 21-7 at halftime against FIU before adding 10 more points in the second half to win 31-7. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke looked far from stellar. Indiana fumbled the ball three times and missed tackles on defense stood out.
In 2025, Indiana gave up a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game and did not score an offensive touchdown until the end of the second quarter. Indiana was inside the 10-yard line six times and only scored 20 points on those possessions. A dominant showing statistically resulted in an underwhelming 27-14 win against Old Dominion.
In both games, the crowd did not stick around. There was not much to stick around for.
That will not be the case in 2026. Cignetti will make sure of it.
“Let’s be loud and proud,” Cignetti said. “Let’s give them something to be loud about. It’s worth two touchdowns, in my mind, no question about it. Our fanbase, just so proud of the way they’ve turned out and really gotten behind this football team. So, it’s just nice to switch gears. Camp can get a little old near the end, hitting each other. I know the guys are gonna be really excited now to run out there and play.”
Indiana football has been changed forever after the 2025 season. There will be no easy way to follow up on it in 2026. Every game is sold out. Indiana will be on national airwaves all year long. A target will be on the Hoosiers’ back every week.
Everything that surrounds Indiana’s season-opening matchup with North Texas sets the table for the most highly anticipated season in Indiana football history. Away from the field, much will look different around Bloomington on Saturday.
Between the white lines, Cignetti aims to keep his team playing the same way as it always does.
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