Here are some quick news items and notes related to IU football this week:
FORMER PURDUE GREAT IMPRESSED WITH CIGNETTI
Former Purdue star quarterback Drew Brees never lost to IU. He was 4-0, winning the games by a combined 128 points.
But things have changed dramatically in the last two years, with Indiana going 27-2, winning a national title, and beating Purdue by a combined score of 122-3.
Speaking to the media this weekend while serving as grand marshal for the NASCAR O’Reilly Series race in San Diego, Brees had to tip his cap to the head coach of the Hoosiers for the unimaginable turnaround.
“I’ve never met (IU coach) Curt Cignetti, but I watched a lot of (his games), and I couldn’t be more impressed with what he built there, as far as the culture and setting the standard, and upholding everybody to that standard,” Brees said. “You have to have a quarterback to go and have that level of success. They obviously found a great one.”
CBS SPORTS PROJECTS IU’S SEASON:
Writing for CBS Sports, Brad Crawford went game-by-game and predicted IU will finish the regular season 10-2 in 2026.
Here’s how Crawford predicts the season:
Wins: North Texas, Howard, Western Kentucky, Northwestern, Ohio State, at Rutgers, at Nebraska, Minnesota, USC, Purdue
Losses: at Michigan, at Washington
That would be Curt Cignetti’s worst regular season at IU. He’s gone 11-1 and 12-0 the last two years. A 10-2 mark would likely place the Hoosiers on the College Football Playoff bubble, but wins over Ohio State and USC would likely put them in the field.
Crawford has Ohio State and Oregon tied atop the league at 8-1.
MEMORIAL STADIUM RANKED ONE OF MOST DIFFICULT PLACES TO PLAY
IU’s Memorial Stadium ranks as one of the top 25 “Toughest Places to Play” in the College Football 27 video game.
The Hoosiers’ home field is the 17th toughest stadium for road teams, according to rankings released this week by EA Sports.
The capacity at Memorial Stadium likely keeps it from being higher on the list.
While their home stadium is not large, Indiana has certainly been one of the more difficult road venues in college football over the last two years. At 15 games, the Hoosiers own the nation’s longest home winning streak.
UNIFORM REVEAL
IU has never wore an alternate uniform or helmet with Cignetti as head coach. And it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect anything substantially different immediately after a national title.
But Indiana provided a glimpse of the in-uniform player photo shoot for 2026 this week, and a few minor things stood out.
An IU trident has been added to the neck area of the jersey. It’s difficult to say for sure, but the jerseys also seemed to constructed of a higher quality material.
If the look utilized in EA Sports College Football 2027 carries over to the field, IU could also be adding a pair of red (or crimson if you prefer) stripes to the away pants.
Photos below via IU Athletics.
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