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It’s Jan. 9, 2026. Indiana football fans around the country are seated in bleachers or in front of TVs — and in my case, on the floor, too nervous for the couch — for perhaps the biggest game in IU football history at that point. The College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 5 Oregon was underway.
IU’s subsequent 56-22 win was decisive, and included not one, but three turnovers by Oregon. The Hoosiers’ play was so impressive, in fact, that the team soon garnered cheating allegations from people on the internet.
In 2023, one year B.C. (Before Cignetti), IU football won only three games. Since Curt Cignetti took over as head coach in 2024, the Hoosiers have boasted two impressive seasons, going 11-2 last year and 15-0 this season, including making their first College Football Playoff final. Hoosier football has undergone a complete turnaround from the disappointments of the past, unprecedented and unexpected. Fans simply can’t believe the once-“losingest team in history” has now become so dominant.
But no, IU isn’t cheating. The Hoosiers are a well-coached team using the changing landscape of college football to their advantage.
Indiana football’s newfound success is largely thanks to Cignetti’s strategic use of the transfer portal and effective coaching skills. When Cignetti came to IU from James Madison University, he brought 13 players with him. Cignetti knew the players well; he knew they had the talent and work ethic he needed to build a good team.
Cignetti said in 2024 when he took over that his strategy was “production over potential.” That means he recruited proven playmakers with experience on the field. Cignetti wasn’t chasing top prospects; he was filling spots with players he knew could do the job.
Those players didn’t just come from JMU, either. Fernando Mendoza, IU’s first Heisman Trophy winner, came from the University of California, Berkeley. Cignetti sought out hard workers, the kind of players who believed IU’s losing streak had gone on long enough.
Indiana linebacker Aidan Fisher credits that hard work for IU’s impressive defensive showings early in games, such as defensive back D’Angelo Ponds’ first play interception in the Peach Bowl. For Fisher, studying the film is the key to victory. In fact, he finds the cheating allegations “...funny and kind of ridiculous.”
Still, skeptics are reluctant to accept the extent of the Hoosiers’ resulting success.
Analysts and commentators, in response to Indiana’s dominant Peach Bowl win, made off-hand comments on X about IU seeming to know what play is coming next. The remarks were meant to praise the Hoosiers’ preparation. Other fans had a more sinister interpretation.
One X user even went so far as to accuse IU of hacking software and infiltrating systems to steal game plans.
There is no evidence of dishonest Hoosier gameplay. Cheating allegations are more of an indication of college football fans’ unwillingness to accept that the sport is evolving.
College football has been dominated by the same excellent programs for a very long time. A quick search for the best college football teams of all time yields an ESPN ranking topped by Alabama (who lost to IU 38-3 at the Rose Bowl), followed by Notre Dame and Ohio State. The NCAA adds Michigan, Texas and Oklahoma to their list.
IU does not make these lists.
For many college football fans in social media comment sections, Indiana football’s lesser historic standing translates to a fraudulent team that doesn’t deserve the praise they are receiving. To these fans, IU lacks the long-standing reputation to prove its strength. Naysayers are desperate to discredit the team after every victory.
College football is a sport steeped in tradition. “Outsiders” like IU are bound to be looked down upon, no matter how good they are.
Thus, the cheating accusations.
However, college football is changing. It is no longer a game of reputation and stockpiling top recruits. Teams that can master strategic use of the transfer portal will be the future football dynasties. Teams like Texas Tech, which made its first College Football Playoff appearance this year after going 8-5 in 2024. Hopefully, IU will continue to rank among the country’s college football elite.
On campus and across the country, IU fans are committed to their team. Hoosiers are rallying nationwide, filling up playoff stadiums in Pasadena and Atlanta with a sea of cream and crimson. Our past two seasons mean an opportunity for enduring excellence. Our recent victories mean a team we can truly be excited about. This season has been a Hoosier dream come true, especially for alumni who watched their team underperform year after year.
IU’s team is fun to watch. They make plays. They have big personalities. Baseless claims that they must be cheating don’t change the Hoosiers’ dominance.
It is ridiculous to have to prove the integrity of a team that has gone undefeated, that is undeniably well coached, and that undeniably gets results.
To those critics out there, I say: let the accusations go. College football is evolving. New teams are seizing their moment. None of this is a bad thing; the sport is becoming more interesting. It’s time to let go of the football dynasties of the past and make room for new powerhouses.
We were the losingest team in history. Let us have this one.
Sasha Burton (she/her) is a sophomore studying elementary education with minors in Spanish and English
