In the euphoric moments after Indiana football reached the summit of the sport, Curt Cignetti said exactly what everyone in Bloomington was thinking. Fresh off a 27-21 victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship, Cignetti stood at the podium and delivered a line that instantly entered Hoosiers lore.
“We’re 16–0, national champions. One of the greatest sports stories of all time.” It wasn’t bravado. It was a statement of fact, and one that perfectly captured the scale of Indiana’s transformation.
The declaration felt like the final punctuation mark on a journey that began two years earlier with Cignetti’s now-famous “I win” introduction. In that short span, the Indiana Hoosiers went from a three-win program to the only team in modern college football history to finish 16-0. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza powered them. With him, Indiana bulldozed its way through the Big Ten. They survived the expanded playoff gauntlet, toppling bluebloods and proving its dominance wasn’t a fluke.
The championship game at Hard Rock Stadium showcased everything Cignetti’s team had become. Indiana jumped out to a 10-0 halftime lead. They leaned on defense when Miami surged. Indiana delivered in the biggest moments. This was highlighted by Mendoza’s gutsy 4th-and-5 rushing touchdown and a game-sealing interception by Jamari Sharpe with 44 seconds left.
Cignetti’s claim that this is “one of the greatest sports stories of all time” is backed by history. Indiana had never won a national title. Maybe they never even dreamed of perfection. Now, the Hoosiers are the gold standard of the 12-team playoff era, and their coach’s words will echo forever across Bloomington.
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