IU football beats Miami, wins first-ever national championship

Fernando Mendoza.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – On a gloomy day on the first of December 2023, a 62-year-old from Western Pennsylvania stepped off a private jet in Bloomington, Indiana. With him, he had a blueprint and a plan to lead Indiana, the losingest program in the history of college football, to the mountaintop.

Over the next couple of weeks, Cignetti went on a tirade of unforgettable quotes, garnishing the interest of the college football landscape.

“I’ve never taken a backseat to anyone and don’t plan on starting now,” he said in front of the Assembly Hall crowd.

Two years and 27 wins later, his vision came to light. Indiana beat Miami (FL) 27-21 on Monday night in the CFP national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium, capturing the program’s first national title in history.

From the first play of the season to the last, Indiana took the field as a team on a mission. The Hoosiers beat five ranked teams, all ranked in the top 10, en route to the first 16-0 college football season since 1894.

The success, although linear, wasn’t without criticism.

Throughout the last offseason, critics questioned whether Cignetti’s success was sustainable. All summer long, the national media were critical of Indiana’s strength of schedule, casting doubt on the program’s legitimacy.

“It’s always something or another. They’re moving the goalposts with us,” senior safety Louis Moore said. “They do that a lot. I don’t understand it, but just watch the film. Turn it on – you’ll see something.”

Indiana excelled offensively under the direction of quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Heisman Trophy winner orchestrated game-winning drives on the road at Iowa, Oregon and Penn State, keeping the program’s undefeated record intact.

As the Hoosiers kept winning, the goalposts kept moving.

National attention skyrocketed, but it was left outside the dorms of the Hoosiers’ Memorial Stadium locker room.

Indiana out-scored its opponents 121 -46 in its three CFP games, beating Alabama, Oregon and the Hurricanes in its three-game run.

“We won these games convincingly,” safety Louis Moore said earlier in the week. “People didn’t want to give us credit for what we’re doing, but the way we’re winning, you can’t discredit us for what we’re doing.”

The last two perfect seasons in college basketball and football now reside in Bloomington, Indiana. On the hardwood with the late Bob Knight. And on the gridiron with Cignetti.

It’s been 780 days since Cignetti first stepped off a plane in Bloomington, Indiana. When he lands on Tuesday afternoon, the metaphorical blueprint will be replaced by the gold CFP trophy.

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