Indiana’s historic national championship run put the program at the mountaintop of college football. Not only has Curt Cignetti established himself as one of the best head coaches in the country, but there’s also some real energy in Bloomington. And the fans can’t wait to get a peak of how their Hoosiers will perform next year.

With the excitement of them winning the natty, the Hoosiers fans expressed their love by pouring thousands into season tickets. The season tickets for 2026 have actually already sold out as of late February. First time in 56 years. Indiana Hoosiers insider Tricia Whitaker hopped onto X and shared the screenshot that no Hoosiers ever expect to receive in this lifetime:

“2026 IU Football season tickets are currently sold out. Fans interested in future availability are encouraged to join the official season ticket waitlist to receive updates as seats become available.” The Apple TV reporter couldn’t contain her excitement at all: “Never in my life did I have this message on my bingo card. It’s a new era.” She tweeted.

As impressive and revolutionary as it feels, all that hype could only lead to a 10–2 finish and no Big Ten title next season. Why? No Mendonza, no playoff party. Colin Cowherd dropped a spoiler for Hoosiers Nation, suggesting some fans may regret purchasing those tickets. He offered a sobering prediction for Indiana.

“I think my takeaway on Mendoza is as great as Curt Cignetti is. They lose three games minimum. Without Mendoza, they’re not beating Miami, Ohio State, and they’re not beating Penn State. Iowa and Oregon are up for debate.”

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The King of hypotheticals believes that without Mendoza on the roster, Indiana would struggle to keep up their “national powerhouse” status. Even though the official schedule doesn’t actually have them playing Penn State or Oregon this year, losing to teams like Ohio State would make a repeat of their 16–0 championship run almost impossible.

Because of this, their odds of another Big 10 title would likely tank. Right now, they’re sitting pretty as the favorites with a 36% chance to win the conference, but if Josh Hoover, the guy with one of the most turnovers (34) in the last 2 years, doesn’t get his mechanics right in his 4th year as a college starter, they could even trip against Gary Patterson-backed USC defense, let alone Ohio State.

The Indiana Hoosiers barely made it out alive against the likes of Ohio State, Miami, and Iowa while playing Mendoza, playing little to no turnover (3 against the top-ranked) football. And without Mendoza, they are no match for stacked-to-the-teeth Miami, Oregon, and Ohio State teams when it comes to pound-for-pound quality and talent.

That would be a hell-break-loose scenario for Hoosier fans. Many have shelled out big donations of over $5,000 just to get a seat. On top of the money, the overall experience might feel more like a headache than a party. If the wins stop coming, the high-stakes atmosphere at Memorial Stadium could turn into frustration, especially for people who fought through waitlists and donor tiers just to be there.

While the 2026 season may present challenges, a potential overhaul of the College Football Playoff system, which Cignetti himself supports, could provide a new path to contention for programs like Indiana in the future.

Curt Cignetti backs the Big 10’s playoff format interest

A leaked document revealed that the Big Ten Conference wants to change the College Football Playoff. Their idea is to expand it to 24 teams. They would eliminate conference championship games, award 23 spots automatically to certain teams, and leave just one spot as an at-large bid. They would also add another weekend of playoff games played on college campuses. Curt Cignetti publicly supported this idea.

“I know we’re going to go through a change here at some point and time, there’s a discussion out there about it. It’s a great system; the more teams you can get involved, the better, within reason. Being that I’m a part of the Big Ten Conference, I have a lot of respect for Tony Petitti, and he supports a 24-team Playoff, (so) I’m going to follow the company line there. But I do think more than 12 would not be a bad thing.”

If this 24-team plan goes through, it would give the Big Ten more guaranteed playoff spots and possibly reduce the chances for smaller conferences. This also means that if Cignetti loses two or three games in 2027, they could most definitely find themselves in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the SEC prefers a 16-team playoff that keeps more at-large spots and doesn’t guarantee as many automatic bids. For now, the playoff is staying at 12 teams while leaders continue to negotiate, and support from big-name coaches like Cignetti adds pressure to the debate.