The latest iteration of the Indiana Hoosiers is a far cry from what fans might remember. In just two seasons, head coach Curt Cignetti has led the program to consecutive double-digit win campaigns for the first time in Bloomington.
The 2025 season marked a high point, as Cignetti guided Indiana to its first Big Ten title since 1967 and secured the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza also won the Heisman, a first in school history.
Cignetti’s achievements are especially impressive given how frequent losing seasons were before his arrival. Here’s a look at Indiana’s past struggles compared to its current success.
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Indiana football record all-time
Indiana’s all-time program record is 534-715-44. Its 715 losses were the most in FBS before the start of the 2025 season. Northwestern passed the Hoosiers on the all-time losses list during the 2025 season, as the Wildcats went 7-6 while Indiana finished the regular season undefeated.
Losing at Indiana has been commonplace for decades, with most of its losses piling up in the program's early days. Indiana finished below-.500 in consecutive seasons from 1925-1933, 1948-1958, 1960-1966, with the longest stretch coming from 1992-2006.
The program had just three winning seasons since 1995, spanning over seven different head coaches.
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Indiana record by year
Here's a look at Indiana's record dating back to 2005. As you can see, the Hoosiers did start improving in the mid-2010s.
| Year | Record | Head Coach |
| 2025 | 13-0 | Curt Cignetti |
| 2024 | 11-2 | Curt Cignetti |
| 2023 | 3-9 | Tom Allen |
| 2022 | 4-8 | Tom Allen |
| 2021 | 2-10 | Tom Allen |
| 2020 | 6-2 | Tom Allen |
| 2019 | 8-5 | Tom Allen |
| 2018 | 5-7 | Tom Allen |
| 2017 | 5-7 | Kevin Wilson |
| 2016 | 6-7 | Kevin Wilson |
| 2015 | 6-7 | Kevin Wilson |
| 2014 | 4-8 | Kevin Wilson |
| 2013 | 5-7 | Kevin Wilson |
| 2012 | 4-8 | Kevin Wilson |
| 2011 | 1-11 | Kevin Wilson |
| 2010 | 5-7 | Bill Lynch |
| 2009 | 4-8 | Bill Lynch |
| 2008 | 3-9 | Bill Lynch |
| 2007 | 7-6 | Bill Lynch |
| 2006 | 5-7 | Terry Hoeppner |
| 2005 | 4-7 | Terry Hoeppner |
When did Indiana hire Curt Cignetti?
Cignetti was hired by Indiana in November 2023, after the school fired previous head coach Tom Allen, who went 10-27 over his last three seasons.
Although Cignetti had spent decades as an assistant, including a stint on Nick Saban’s staff from 2007 to 2010, he earned his first head coaching job at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2011. He led the Crimson Hawks to a 53-17 record, with three playoff appearances and two conference titles.
He then moved to Elon, where he went 14-9 over two seasons, including consecutive playoff appearances. His third and final stop before Indiana was James Madison from 2019 to 2023, where he finished 52-9 and guided the Dukes to multiple FCS playoff appearances.
“The first part was easy,” Cignetti said of when he fired up Indiana fans by yelling "Purdue sucks" at an IU basketball game after his hiring in early 2024. “But then, why stop there and set the bar at 6-6? We’re going after these two. We want to be the best. Like that thing I talked about with the kids. When you compete, you want to be the best.
“You can’t have self-imposed limitations. ‘Oh, if we go to a bowl, it’s a great year.’ Bullshit. That ain’t the goal. The goal’s to be the best. And what you do is you commit to the process and do the things you have to do to be the best you can be, and then, see where you are at the end. You don’t bring the kids up, ‘Mary, I want you to be fifth-best today, 10th-best.’ No. You want them to be the best.”"
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Has Indiana won a national championship in football?
No, Indiana has never won a national title in football. The Hoosiers have just three Big Ten titles in program history, in 1945, 1967 and 2025. Its 1967 Big Ten title was shared with Minnesota and Purdue.
Indiana's highest rankings in football
Indiana's No. 1 overall ranking in 2025 is its highest-ever in program history, second to its No. 4 AP Poll ranking during the 1967 season. Here's a look at the highest rankings for the Hoosiers over the years. Indiana has been ranked in the AP Poll in just 22 years as a program:
- 2025: No. 1 (CFP)
- 2024: No. 5 (CFP)
- 2020: 11th (CFP)
- 2019: 24th (AP Poll)
- 1994: 25th (AP Poll)
- 1993: 17th (AP Poll)
- 1991: 25th (AP Poll)
- 1990: 20th (AP Poll)
- 1988: 14th (AP Poll)
- 1987: 11th (AP Poll)
- 1979: 19th (AP Poll)
- 1969: 10th (AP Poll)
- 1968: 13th (AP Poll)
- 1967: 4th (AP Poll)
- 1950: 19th (AP Poll)
- 1946: 18th (AP Poll)
- 1945: 4th (AP Poll)
- 1944: 15th (AP Poll)
- 1942: 18th (AP Poll)
- 1937: 17th (AP Poll)
(Author's note: Rankings represent season-high rankings, not necessarily where Indiana finished the year ranked.)
MORE: Why did Fernando Mendoza transfer from Cal to Indiana?
Last time Indiana was good at football
The last time Indiana was good at football was in 1967. The Hoosiers finished 9-2 that season under third-year head coach John Pont, sharing the Big Ten championship with Purdue and Minnesota. The Hoosiers made it to the Rose Bowl that season, but fell 14-3 to USC.
That season marked the second-ever nine-win season in Indiana school history, as the Hoosiers finished 9-0-1 under Bo McMillin in 1945.