Indiana’s rise to the mountaintop of college football was sudden and surprising. In just two years, Curt Cignetti turned an abysmal program into national champions. But reaching there is one thing. Real legacy is built when you stay there. For a coach who has stood on college football’s highest peak multiple times, Urban Meyer knows the descent can be swift and brutal, a lesson he delivered to Indiana’s Curt Cignetti.

Cignetti appeared on the The Triple Option podcast with Meyer, Rob Stone and Mark Ingram II to discuss the Hoosiers’ successful season. Stone and Ingram II raised the point that winning the natty is fun, but defending the championship is the hardest part. It’s particularly a challenge because now the Hoosiers will be a target for every opponent they face. 

Urban Meyer agreed with them, recalling that only a few teams have won consecutive national titles. But it gave hope, stating that it’s not impossible. 

“Climbing mountains is fun. But very few teams have done it back-to-back,” Urban Meyer told Curt Cignetti on the February 3 episode of The Triple Option. “To me, it’s all about us still. Are we meeting the standard on a daily basis? Are we meeting the standard consistently? 

The things I believe in are not going to change. My message to the team might change daily, based on what I see and how we’re doing. Usually, if we’re doing pretty good, I may not even talk to the team after practice. But if I don’t like what I see, I am going to talk to them. Now, it’s not going to be long, but they’re going to understand what I’m saying.”

The trend of going back-to-back has happened as recently as 2022 in college football. Kirby Smart’s Georgia did it. However, that is the only time a team has done it in the playoff era. Alabama and USC also claimed back-to-back national titles; it was during the Bowl Championship Series era that preceded it.

And who better to share the advice than Meyer? He has won three national championships, two with the Florida Gators and one with Ohio State. The Gators’ championships came in 2006 and 2008. Two in three years, but back-to-back? No. What will make it even more difficult for the Hoosiers’ is their schedule next season.

Indiana’s 2026 season schedule breakdown

The Big Ten officially announced Indiana’s 2026 schedule in late January, and its lineup looks quite competitive compared to this past season. The Hoosiers have no issues with the non-conference schedule, opening the season with North Texas, Howard, and Western Kentucky, allowing Curt Cignetti’s Indiana to get everything together. 

The Hoosiers’ Big Ten schedule begins with Northwestern and Rutgers, which isn’t that bad to open their Big Ten stretch. However, the next three games could be against their tough contenders, who could threaten their CFP chances. The Hoosiers will play Nebraska, Ohio State, and Michigan in the following three weeks, mainly because of the trip to Lincoln before the two big games. And Minnesota, USC, and Washington aren’t breathers.

The Hoosiers would miss Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State, who gave them a tough fight in the regular season schedule. However, Michigan, Ohio State, and USC were scheduled into their regular seasons to keep the competition tight.

Despite being the national champions, Indiana isn’t the early favorite for the next season. They have the third-best odds with +700, falling behind Notre Dame and Ohio State, per BetMGM.