Knock, Knock: It’s the Hoosiers

Phil Roeder

“Iowa Beats Indiana” by Phil Roeder is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Are the Indiana Hoosiers currently in the college football playoffs?

Yes. Yes, they are, and they have been dominating the field all season long.

Last year, in the 2025 playoffs, the Hoosiers played in the postseason, but lost in the Battle of Indiana to the Fighting Irish. Well, Indiana took that loss to heart.

At the halfway mark of the 2025-2026 college football season, the Hoosiers earned their sixth win, leading them to an undefeated 6-0 record. At that time, Indiana’s head football coach, Curt Cignetti, made a statement, “It’s pretty simple. I win. Google Me.” 

Well, he meant every word he said as the Indiana Hoosiers then won the rest of their games in the regular season, which led them to not only end undefeated but to be ranked first in the AP poll rankings.

The team finished off  November strong, but before they could head off to the playoff road, Indiana would be challenged for their first-place ranking by Ohio State in the BIG 10 Championship. Both teams were highly talented, so the game was back and forth all night long. At halftime, the Buckeyes had played solid defense and were able to contain Fernando for a little while. When the third quarter came rolling around, it was a whole different ball game, because as soon as the Hoosier quarterback Fernando Mendoza put on his helmet, fans knew he meant business. That quarter, he would only take seven plays to get down the field, and he finished it off with a pass to Elijah Sarratt for a touchdown, which would lead the Hoosiers in the game. They clung to the first-place ranking, not letting any Buckeye take that from them. 

Mendoza was not only nominated for the Heisman Award for the tremendous amount of talent he demonstrated on the field throughout this regular season, but on December 13, 2025, he ended up being the player who went home with the Heisman trophy in his hands. Overall, he has thrown the most touchdowns (36), which has developed a powerful completion percentage; he has a little over 3000 yards, and has an overall QB ranking of 89.5 from all of his winning, clutch performances. Although Mendoza has done a lot this season, there are also lots of other dominant offensive players on the team, such as Elijah Sarrat (WR), Pat Coogan (OL), who was rewarded the player of the game in the Rose Bowl, and Kaelon Black (RB).

The Hoosiers also have many players who dominate on the defensive side of the ball. Devan Boykin, a defensive back, is a very versatile player and can get the job done at several positions. Curt states, “Boykin is a brilliant player. He can play all three safety positions. He’s a good tackler, a good cover guy.” Boykin’s versatility makes it very difficult for a quarterback to be able to communicate with their offense on what kind of formation they’re running up against. 

Rolijah Hardy, a sophomore linebacker, came out of high school with zero stars and zero recognition at the start. However, he had the passion for the game, and all those 5 a.m. workouts weren’t anything that bothered him. He was willing to do whatever it took to be recognized. With a lot of patience and betting on himself, he sure got recognized as he is now one of Indiana’s starting linebackers with eight sacks and 45 solos this season.

Through and through, the Indiana Hoosiers have lots of talented players who continue to put in relentless effort to see their team cheering in victory. The statistics demonstrate their hard work, but the best part is putting on the game to see your favorite Hoosier continuing to add to those numbers, which is precisely what Indiana did during the Rose Bowl against Alabama. 

To see if Indiana can continue to stay undefeated, make sure you watch their game against Oregon in the Peach Bowl this Friday, January 9th, at 6:30 p.m., in Atlanta, Georgia.