Indiana has already answered the biggest question surrounding Curt Cignetti’s program: Can the Hoosiers actually win a national championship? They did it in spectacular fashion. Now comes the much harder question: Can they run it back after losing their star championship quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, and a bunch of super seniors to the draft? Well, ESPN’s Sam Acho believes so, and his argument centers on something that often gets overlooked after a championship win: coaching continuity.

“Look at their coaching staff continuity… I’ve got the chance to be a part of a team that’s had a change in coaching staff, and it’s very difficult for a player to try to learn a new scheme, learn a new system. They don’t have that in Indiana,” Sam Acho said on SportsCenter.

Acho specifically pointed to defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, who has been with Cignetti for 11 years, and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, who is now in his fourth season running the offense. That’s a big deal in college football, where players are constantly being asked to adjust to new coaches, schemes, and terminology. However, while Indiana checked pretty much every mark on the list, the biggest glaring issue is Hoover’s turnover problem.

“By the way, they just added Josh Hoover out of the transfer portal. I got a chance to call one of his games last year when he was at TCU. The talent, especially the ARM talent, is undeniable. Now, yes, there was a turnover problem.”

Hoover finished his TCU career with 9,629 passing yards and 71 touchdowns. On pure talent, there is little reason to doubt that Hoover can operate Cignetti’s offense. The Hoosiers brought in Hoover from TCU through the transfer portal to take the wheel. Calling one of his games last season, Sam Acho noted that while Hoover’s arm talent is rare and undeniable, his tendency to force throws is a genuine concern.

Hoover turned the ball over 42 times in 31 starts, including 13 interceptions in 2025, which tied for the second-most in the entire nation. He was constantly forced to sling the ball downfield to bail his team out, which led to costly mistakes.

The last thing Curt Cignetti wants is a turnover mania in Bloomington because the Hoosiers’ championship season was built on winning the turnover battle and giving their defense extra opportunities.

Last season, the Hoosiers threw only seven interceptions and lost just one fumble in 2025. Their defense intercepted 19 passes and recovered 11 opponent fumbles. Indiana’s +1.40 turnover margin led the FBS.

However, the good news is that Cignetti has already acknowledged that bit, and he’s well aware of what he’s got in his arsenal. The Hoosiers head honcho even joked that Hoover just met his two new best friends: a great defense and a really strong running game.

Unlike what TCU asked of Hoover, the Hoosiers are not going to ask Hoover to throw the football 45 or 51 times a game.

Indiana has been one of the better rushing teams in college football under Shanahan, averaging 212.9 rushing yards per game. Curt Cignetti has already talked about getting back to running the football even more.

Hoover does not necessarily have to match Mendoza’s production, but he sure needs to avoid turning the ball over at a rate that puts pressure on the rest of the team.

So far, Josh Hoover is having an absolute blast out at Indiana’s fall camp. Word is, he has been turning heads left and right. Some of the plays and throws he made that media folks called his practice performance “stunning.” And apparently, turnovers have not been a major issue yet, as the first team has put together multiple clean, zero-turnover days.

As long as he’s able to do that, Cignetti has a genuine chance to lead Indiana to back-to-back national championships. God forbid, if the turnovers continue, however, they could become the one glaring weakness standing between another title.