Indiana’s Big Ten Championship victory didn’t just shock the conference, it has sent waves across college football, drawing reactions from analysts who spent decades viewing the Hoosiers as a perennial bottom-tier program.
One of those voices was Colin Cowherd, whose surprise at Indiana’s transformation came through in a humorous, backhanded compliment that quickly started taking rounds, because of the unreal demonstration.
“The Indiana Hoosiers being a football POWER is still hard for me to wrap my brain around. Mostly because I had a TV from 1972 to 2023,” Cowherd posted on X, formerly Twitter.
His post referenced the program’s long history of losing as Indiana (13-0) entered this season with the most losses in FBS history, while acknowledging the program’s stunning turnaround under Curt Cignetti.
That turnaround reached its peak on Saturday, when Indiana captured its first outright Big Ten championship since 1945 and its first league title of any kind since 1967. They not only won the title game but also defeated the defending champions the Ohio State (12-1).
The Hoosiers sealed the win in dramatic fashion, taking advantage after Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding pushed a 27-yard field goal wide left with under three minutes remaining.
With the door open, quarterback Fernando Mendoza delivered a game-clinching strike — a 33-yard completion to Charlie Becker on third-and-six, effectively putting the game out of reach.
FERNANDO MENDOZA TO BECKER AGAIN 🎯@Indianafootball pic.twitter.com/HMA75IKVHh
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 7, 2025
This season has been a historic climb for a program that once struggled to reach bowl eligibility. Cignetti, in only his second year, has now led Indiana to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances and the only two 10-win seasons in school history.
Indiana’s undefeated run included milestone road wins, such as its first-ever victory at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium and a season-shaping upset at Oregon 20-30.
With Mendoza emerging as a Heisman frontrunner and the defense ranking among the nation’s elite, the Hoosiers are positioned not just as a feel-good story, but as a legitimate national title contender.
