MIAMI — Indiana football has done it.
Curt Cignetti has pulled off the unthinkable.
The Hoosiers spent decade after decade toiling away on the football field, with very fleeting positive moments providing respite from — until November — the most losses in college football history.
But on Jan. 19, 2026, that same program has reached the mountaintop. IU football captured its first-ever national championship, defeating Miami 27-21 in the title game at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Hoosiers cap off a perfect 16-0 season that will go down among the best in the modern history of the sport. IU had to pull out a close, tense game in the College Football Playoff National Championship against a persistent Hurricanes team — on their home field. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza scored the deciding touchdown on a 12-yard rush with 9:18 to play in the fourth quarter.
This is the 25th national championship in IU Athletics history, and its first since men’s soccer won the College Cup in 2012. Indiana now has the most recent undefeated seasons in both football and men’s basketball.
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