The University of Indiana football team won its first national championship in the College Football Playoff game on January 19. The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes, ending in a final score of 27-21. Indiana finished with a perfect 16-0 season, which is the first undefeated 16-win season in major college football since 1894. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was one of the main factors that ultimately led this team to victory through plays such as a fourth-down touchdown run. Junior Zachary Shiff said, “Mendoza had many clutch plays throughout the game, and the popularity he is receiving for them is most likely going to make him a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.”
Before this victory, Indiana was considered to be a weaker team, and many people did not expect them to win. Despite being underdogs, they had a shocking breakthrough that has been big news in college sports. The new head coach of the team, Curt Cignetti, transformed the school’s struggling football program into a national champion in only his second year as coach. Jack Clark, a junior on the LJHS football team, said, “I watched the game, it is very inspirational that Indiana went from being a not-good program to a very good program in such a short amount of time. Indiana definitely deserved to win after all the hard work they have put in.” This massive victory changed people’s perception of the Indiana Hoosiers, ended their losing streak, and, most importantly, proved that a former low-status program could achieve great success in a short time.
