Indiana nearing all-time great status as Hoosiers steamroll into CFP National Championship

ATLANTA – It’s time to start the conversation.

Indiana is one win away from becoming one of the greatest college football teams of all time. In recent memory, he’s entering that rarefied air that the 2019 LSU and 2020 Alabama teams live in. Go back even further, and that Indiana team might be in the same neighborhood as the legendary 2001 Miami Hurricanes team.

Also, don’t even try to say that this is an overreaction to a single play. Indiana annihilated Oregon in Atlanta, 56-22, in a way that only the absolute best teams can do. It was the second-largest blowout in College Football Playoff history, behind Georgia’s destruction of TCU in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship. Indiana looked unstoppable in almost every way against a good Oregon team.

Fernando Mendoza was incredible once again. The more time he spends playing for Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, the more he seems to improve. He was great in that blowout Rose Bowl win over Alabama and even better against the Ducks in Atlanta. He finished with five touchdowns, an 85% completion rate and even added 28 yards on the ground.

“I thought he was amazing,” Cignetti said. “He was great.”

Bryant Haines’ defense was once again fierce. The Hoosiers stood out when D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Oregon quarterback Dante Moore on the very first offensive play of the game, returning it all the way for a touchdown. In the blink of an eye, Indiana was up 7-0 and the large Indiana crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium went crazy. This looked like a home game for the Hoosiers with a fan disparity, like 90/10 in favor of Indiana.

This Indiana defense made Moore’s life difficult all night, forcing three turnovers and sacking the Ducks QB three times. Moore looked like a player who needed another year of experience at Oregon and not a top-three draft pick like he was projected to be. That’s how good Indiana’s defense was Friday night.

Why Indiana is near unprecedented status

The best of the best need a few things.

He has to be elite both offensively and defensively. Look and look for an Indiana team that ranks #2 in defense and #3 in offense according to SP+ ratings. The Hoosiers also rank No. 1 overall in these SP+ rankings.

You have to have elite talent. That 2019 LSU team featured quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Alabama’s 2020 title team included Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and so on.

Indiana hasn’t recruited as many five-stars as those teams, but there is talent all over the roster. Mendoza, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. Ponds as well as receivers Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt could all be Day 2 picks. There is more NFL talent on this roster than one might expect based on the name on the front of the jersey.

“They’re complete,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “They do a lot of things, and they do it really well. There’s no weakness in their game. They run the ball well. They stop the run well. They throw the ball well. They defend the pass well. They’re great on special teams. You see a really complete team, a well-coached team. They obviously have a lot of confidence, and rightly so.”

The fact that this is happening in Indiana makes it even more impressive. This isn’t a traditional blue blood adding another trophy to his cluttered cabinet. This is not a school with major natural recruiting advantages like Alabama and LSU.

It was the losingest college football program in history before Cignetti took over. They took over the worst program and are now one win away from becoming perhaps the greatest individual team in college football history.

“I never thought in my wildest dreams with Indiana football I would think we just made it to the national championship game, but that’s not enough,” billionaire and Indiana alumnus Mark Cuban told CBS Sports. “It’s just a step on the path to doing what Coach Cig, Scott Dolson, Pam Whitten put in place. Fernando (Mendoza), the whole team, it’s been just incredible.”

This will of course depend on a victory against Miami in Miami. The Hurricanes will be Indiana’s toughest test, one of the few teams capable of matching the Hoosiers’ physicality up front.

But the way this Indiana team plays, choose against them at your own risk. They are relentless as the best teams are, always playing their best even when they dominated the entire second half. Cignetti never took his foot off the gas, even when the match was clearly no longer in doubt.

This is what the best teams do.

It’s time to stop underestimating this Indiana team just because it’s Indiana. The Hoosiers completely dominate good opponents like only the best can.

“There was a lot of skepticism after last year, thinking we were a fluke,” Cignetti said. “This team did a lot of great things and started it all. This team never trailed until the ninth game of the year, and when they did, 10-0 in the first quarter at Michigan State, they scored 47 in a row.

“I think a lot of negative things in the media fueled the return of the guys on this team, and we added some real key pieces, the main one (Mendoza) sitting here to my left, but others as well. Great leaders, great players.”

So yes, it’s time to start the conversation. Indiana is one win away from college football immortality. A victory far from a legitimate claim as the new GOAT.