ATLANTA — It’s time to start the conversation.
Indiana is one win away from going down as one of the greatest college football teams of all time. In recent memory, it is entering that rarefied air in which the 2019 LSU and 2020 Alabama teams live. Go back even farther, and this Indiana team could be in the same neighborhood as that legendary 2001 Miami Hurricanes team.
Don’t even try to say that’s an overreaction to just one game, either. Indiana annihilated Oregon in Atlanta, 56-22, in a way that only the absolute best teams can do. It was the second biggest blowout in College Football Playoff history, behind only 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 unbelievable yet again. The more time he gets playing for Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, the better he seems to get. He was terrific in that Rose Bowl blowout win over Alabama and even better against the Ducks in Atlanta. He finished with five touchdowns touchdowns, an 85% completion rate and even added 28 rushing yards.
“I thought he was incredible,” Cignetti said. “He was great.”
Bryant Haines’ defense was again ferocious. The Hoosiers came out flying as 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 a blink of an eye, Indiana was up 7-0 and the Indiana-heavy crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium went nuts. It felt like a home game for the Hoosiers with the fan disparity, like, 90/10 in Indiana’s favor.
That 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 needs another year of seasoning at Oregon and not a top three draft pick the way he’s been projected. That’s how good Indiana’s defense was Friday night.
Why Indiana is nearing all-time great status
The best of the best need to have a few things.
It needs to be elite both offensively and defensively. Check and check for an Indiana team that ranks No. 2 on defense and No. 3 on offense according to SP+ ratings. The Hoosiers rank No. 1 overall in those SP+ rankings, too.
You need to have elite talent. That 2019 LSU team had quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. The 2020 Alabama title team had Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris, receiver Jaylen Waddle and on and on.
Indiana didn’t recruit nearly as many five-stars as those teams, but there’s talent all over the roster. Mendoza, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, should be the No. 1 overall pick. Ponds as well as receivers Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt could all be Day 2 picks. There’s more NFL talent on this roster than you might expect because of the name on the front of the jersey.
“They’re complete,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “They do a lot, and they do it really, really well. There’s not a 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 in special teams. You see a really complete team, a well-coached team. They obviously have a ton of belief, and deservedly so.”
That this is happening at Indiana makes it even more impressive. This isn’t a traditional blue blood adding another trophy to its crowded case. This isn’t a school with major natural recruiting advantages the way Alabama and LSU have.
This was the losingest college football program in history before Cignetti took over. He took over the worst program and now has it a win away from possibly being the greatest individual team in college football history.
“I never thought in my wildest dreams with Indiana football I’d be thinking we just got to the national championship game, but that’s not enough,” billionaire booster and Indiana alumnus Mark Cuban told CBS Sports. “This is just one step in the path to do what Coach Cig, Scott Dolson, Pam Whitten put together. Fernando (Mendoza), the whole squad, it’s just been incredible.”
That will depend on a win over Miami in Miami, of course. The Hurricanes will be Indiana’s toughest test yet, one of the few teams capable of matching the Hoosiers’ physicality up front.
But the way this Indiana team is playing — pick against them at your own risk. They are relentless in the way the best teams are, still playing their hardest even when they were up big the entire second half. Cignetti never eased up off the gas, not even when the game was clearly no longer in doubt.
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That’s what the best teams do.
It’s time to stop underrating this Indiana team just because it’s Indiana. The Hoosiers are thoroughly dominating good opponents in way only the best can do.
“There was a lot of skepticism after last year, that we were a fluke,” Cignetti said. “That team did a lot of great things and got it all started. That team never trailed until the ninth game of the year, and when it did, 10-0 in the first quarter up at Michigan State, they scored 47 straight.
“I think a lot of that negative stuff in the media fueled the guys returning from this team, and we added some real key pieces, the main one (Mendoza) sitting right here on my left, but other ones as well. Great leaders, great players.”
So, yes, it’s time to start the conversation. Indiana is one win away from college football immortality. One win away from a legitimate claim as the new GOAT.