LOS ANGELES — Indiana football’s 26-day break will come to an end Thursday when the Rose Bowl kicks off in Pasadena, California.
The Hoosiers last took to the field Dec. 6 in the Big Ten championship game when they defeated then-No. 1 Ohio State to secure the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame he had three and a half weeks to get his squad humble and hungry again.
Despite the Hoosiers going 12-0 for the first time in program history and winning the Big Ten title, their 13-0 record essentially resets. A win sends the Cream and Crimson to the College Football Playoff semifinals, while a loss marks the end of the season.
While Indiana hasn’t fallen this season, history isn’t on its side in the second year of the 12-team CFP. All four teams that received first-round byes last season lost in the quarterfinals: Oregon, the University of Georgia, Arizona State University and Boise State University.
However, that was last season under the previous seeding method that gave byes to the highest-ranked conference champions. The Hoosiers fell short of reaching the quarterfinals after losing their first-round matchup with the University of Notre Dame.
But now the Cream and Crimson earned a bye directly into the quarterfinals. And it’s been a helpful one.
“It's definitely been nice, reset, refocus,” senior linebacker Aiden Fisher said at Rose Bowl Media Day on Tuesday. “Some guys were able to take some time to go home, see some loved ones, just the things to get you refocused. It's been great for the preparation.”
The Hoosiers went nearly two weeks without a set opponent, as they awaited the winner of the matchup between the University of Alabama and the University of Oklahoma. Cignetti said his squad “wasn’t in high gear” during that period. Instead, it resembled a pair of bye weeks.
Having such a drastic break isn’t an unfamiliar position for the Hoosiers, but this season’s break is extended compared to last season. In the lead-up to its matchup with Notre Dame in 2024, Indiana had 20 days between contests compared to 26 days this season.
And Cignetti learned from an error he feels his program made before its first CFP appearance.
“So, we got a couple of practices in, rest, recovery, a lot of weight room work, that kind of thing,” Cignetti said of this season’s strategy. “We didn't spend a lot of time on Alabama or Oklahoma. I didn't want to. We made that mistake last year.”
The Hoosiers spent time self-scouting, getting healthy and preparing mentally for their CFP run. They shifted preparation when Alabama won, as the Crimson Tide scored 34 unanswered points in a comeback win on the road against the Sooners.
Not only did Indiana learn which team it’ll face in the Grandaddy of Them All, but it also grasped what type of team stands in its path.
“They're an SEC juggernaut,” redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza said. “They have a great offense, great defense, great coach, and so really, really looking forward to playing them. They're going to be a tough team. I think that Oklahoma game speaks testament on how resilient they are and they're a tough team to kill.”
HeisMendoza aiming for national championship
Fernando Mendoza made Indiana football history Dec. 13, when he became the first Hoosier to win the Heisman Trophy. Although the trophy honors the top player in college football, Mendoza feels the reason he won is because the Hoosiers are 13-0 and the top-ranked squad.
And while it was a trip he said he’ll remember for the rest of his life, there’s a greater goal in mind: a national championship.
To play for the national championship Jan. 19 in Miami, the Hoosiers must win two games, one of which is the Rose Bowl.
“Now we got to go prove it again and realize that the Heisman was a team award,” Mendoza said, “and now we got to get the ultimate team award, which is first being in the Rose Bowl.”
Mendoza is looking to become the first quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy and the national championship in the same season since Louisiana State University’s Joe Burrow in 2019.
For Mendoza, who previously explained YouTube and LinkedIn are the only social media he has, avoiding a letdown after a historic moment is key. A poor performance by the signal caller against the Crimson Tide could end the Hoosiers’ season.
But a superb showing could punch the Cream and Crimson’s ticket to the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.
“I think it's really critical now that he really developed a sharp edge in his preparation and don't play like, ‘Oh, I'm the Heisman Trophy winner and I've got to do this or do that,’” Cignetti said, “because we've all been following this game long enough to know we've seen some of those performances, right?”
Hoosiers look to make history
Indiana’s lone appearance in the Granddaddy of Them All came Jan. 1, 1968, in a loss to USC. But that was 58 years ago. Now, Cignetti and the Hoosiers can make program history with its first Rose Bowl victory.
Mendoza sees the lengthy break in the lead-up as a positive. He’s already reflected on the history the Hoosiers have made, and since moved on to a new mindset — one his teammates have followed.
“Everyone is 0-0,” Mendoza said. “We got the College Football Playoff and the best season to be a part of. Let's go rise to the occasion and act like, hey — it's not like we have the Rose Bowl and we're trying to protect it from Alabama because we're a higher seed. No, no, no. We're both in this race and we got to go take it.”
Alabama may have the historic program, but the Crimson Tide are a 6.5-point underdog to the Hoosiers on Thursday. Indiana has a formidable challenge ahead.
Now, the Cream and Crimson must seize it.
“We all realize, hey, right now is not a time to slack off,” Mendoza said. “We dreamed our entire lives for this moment since kids. Also, as older men, we're going to realize and look back at this moment. So, this is a moment that really, really counts in our college football careers. Let's make the most of it.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
