What experts are saying about Indiana football ahead of the 2025 season plus a look at their biggest game of the season.
One year ago, ‘experts’ across the nation picked Indiana football to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Despite Curt Cignetti’s past success, few thought Indiana would be able to compete in his first year with the program.
Following what many labeled a ‘Cinderella’ run in 2024, the expectations surrounding the program have shifted significantly.
ESPN recently ranked the Hoosiers as the 6th best team in the Big Ten in their 2025 Big Ten football preview.
Indiana found itself in the second tier – ‘In the running’ – regarding its College Football Playoff outlook, according to Adam Rittenberg and Jake Trotter.
“Indiana largely will be counted out, but not here, as the team retained several All-Big Ten players from the historic CFP team, and added quarterback Fernando Mendoza and several notable offensive linemen from the portal,” Rittenberg and Trotter said.
Mendoza and the transfer portal additions on the offensive line, highlighted by Pat Coogan, Zen Michalski, and Kahlil Benson, will play a large part in determining the outlook of this season for the Hoosiers.
Last year, Indiana’s offensive line play was as good as it had been in previous years, yet it still held the Hoosiers back against Notre Dame and Ohio State.
“The key for IU will be better line-of-scrimmage play in its biggest games, as the schedule doesn’t look nearly as favorable,” Rittenberg and Trotter said.
Indiana also returned several key players on the defensive side of the football, including all-conference standouts Mikail Kamara, Aiden Fisher, and D’Angelo Ponds.
Indiana was joined by Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa in the second tier with Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State making up the ‘should be in’ tier.
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In the preview, Indiana’s Big Ten opener against Illinois was named a ‘must-see game’ by Bill Connelly.
“If things play out as forecasted and we have two different races going on in the Big Ten — the big names vying for the conference title and the pool of 14 other teams fighting among each other for another playoff spot — then this is the biggest Illinois-Indiana game of all time,” Connelly said. “The loser will have to be just about perfect to get to 10-2 and a potential bid.”
Many have labeled this game the biggest game of the season for the Hoosiers.
Illinois is coming off a 10-win season that they capped off with a bowl win over South Carolina.
With quarterback Luke Altmeyer leading a strong core of returning players, the Fighting Illini are looking to make a run to the College Football Playoff.
Starting the Big Ten season with a win against Illinois will go a long way in increasing Indiana’s playoff hopes.
The Hoosiers’ road game against the Nittany Lions also cracked the list of ‘must-see games’, but was further down the list as Penn State plays on the road against Ohio State the week prior.
While some have looked to criticise the strength of Indiana’s schedule, with road matchups against Oregon, Penn State, and Iowa, plus a pivotal opener against Illinois, the Hoosiers’ 2025 schedule will be no cake walk.
Despite the tough schedule, BetMGM has set the 2025 win total for Indiana at 8.5 wins.
Indiana has the pieces to make another run to the College Football Playoff, but their schedule leaves no room for error. If the Hoosiers can get off to a strong start — beginning with Illinois — 2025 could be another special season.
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Category: General Sports
