Thanks largely in part to their standout quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana Hoosiers currently find themselves trending positively towards the end of the greatest season in the history of their program. And given the sheer amount of success that they’ve enjoyed throughout the past several months, it’s easy to see why Curt Cignetti is willing to trust the process against the Oregon Ducks in the semifinals.
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Between Mendoza’s winning of the 2025 Heisman trophy and the fact that Cignetti is on the cusp of becoming the first head coach in college football history to secure 26 wins throughout his first two years with a program, it’s safe to say that the program is on the verge breaking into that next tier, but according to Cignetti himself, this plan had been in motion for quite sometime, and only now is the public truly beginning to see his vision for the Hoosiers.
“I was really excited when we got him,” Cignetti spoke in regards to Mendoza while visiting with CBS Sports. “When he entered the transfer portal, it didn’t take me long, in terms of plays. Now, when we got him, he was a little behind in the pocket, relative to where I thought he would be in terms of footwork, timing, rhythm, and processing. That took a little bit of time… But the development he’s made, I can’t say enough great things about him.”
Throughout Indiana’s 12 regular-season outings, Mendoza was able to notch a final total of 2,758 passing yards while completing 72% of his passes, and when you factor in his most recent games against the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Alabama Crimson Tide, he’s now leading the FBS in passing touchdowns, yards gained per pass attempt, and passer efficiency rating.
Simply put, that’s enough to have him be considered as one, if not the best, quarterbacks in all of college football right now, and with that ace up his sleeve, Cignetti appeared to have all of the confidence in the world heading into Friday’s match-up with the Ducks.
“They’ve been around a little longer than we have. We’re the new kid on the block… Coach [Dan] Lanning has done an unbelievable job. His record’s incredible and I’ve got a lot of respect for him… Oregon is a great football team. It’ll be a very difficult challenge, and we’re going to have to play really well.”
Should the Hoosiers manage to outlast Oregon, then they’ll have officially survived a murderer’s row of Big-10 and SEC talent. Not only would that make them one of the more vetted champions in recent memory, but it would also give Cignetti and his staff some of the best resumes that are available in the profession today.
