The 2025 Indiana football team has a chance to be even better than last year's team, which went on a run to the College Football Playoff. They have talent, but must continue to be consistent against the better teams on their schedule. That starts this weekend, when they travel to Oregon to face the Ducks in a giant game for the Big Ten championship this year.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti had nothing but praise for Oregon’s Dan Lanning ahead of the Hoosiers’ top-10 showdown with the Ducks in Eugene this weekend. Cignetti has been in the coaching industry for four decades and has seen almost everything. He heaped massive praise on what Dan Lanning built at Oregon and the standard in Eugene since he took over.
“Great opponent, great team, a lot of great players. Extremely well-coached,” Cignetti said. “Big, fast, athletic, physical, depth. Coach Lanning has done a tremendous job recruiting, developing, and focusing his attention. Probably one of the most impressive young coaching phenoms to come around in a while, having been in this game for a bit. They’re a great football team. Looking forward to the challenge. Confidence in our team.”
Cignetti's praise is earned because Lanning took over in 2022 and immediately elevated the already elite Oregon football program. Lanning has led the Ducks to double-digit wins every year, highlighted by a 10–3 debut season, a 12–2 campaign in 2023, and an undefeated regular season in 2024. This season, the Ducks have looked like their best team yet.
Despite the praise, it's clear that Cignetti and the rest of the Indiana football team won't be intimidated by the Ducks, despite the Hoosiers traveling to Autzen Stadium, which is known as one of the loudest in college football. He has been known to be a fearless coach, and that comes through with his teams.
All eyes will be on Fernando Mendoza's performance on the road in this stadium. He has been great this year, passing for 1,208 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to only one interception and a 73% completion percentage. The good news is that the Hoosiers should get a boost to their defense with D'Angelo Ponds available in the secondary. This matchup will be challenging, but it will determine how much of a contender Indiana is.
