3 Stats That Display Indiana's Dominance During National Championship Run

From efficiency to average scoring margin and strength of schedule, the Hoosiers certainly proved they were the nation's best.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti during the CFP Champions press conference at Marriott Marquis Miami. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A list of statistics explaining why and how Indiana won the National Championship could go on for thousands and thousands of words. That's what made these Hoosiers special.

They didn't just excel in one area of the field, or win the same way each time. Sure, they had the Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Fernando Mendoza. But there were also games where the run game powered a high-scoring day, or where the defense was the stronger unit.

Here are three stats that display just that.

1. Indiana was the nation's most efficient team

Indiana's Elijah Sarratt (13), Fernando Mendoza (15), Pat Coogan (78), Aiden Fisher (4) and Riley Nowakowski (37) pose with the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Hoosiers didn't have a weakness in any of the three phases, and defeating them required a perfect game. That's part of the reason no one could do it. If one side of the ball struggled for a bit, the other side was ready to pick up the slack. And most of the time, both dominated.

Indiana finished the year No. 1 in overall efficiency, No. 2 in defensive efficiency, No. 3 in offensive efficiency and No. 6 in special teams efficiency.

Balance is the key here. Vanderbilt had the nation's No. 1 offensive efficiency, but ranked No. 54 in defense efficiency and allowed 30 points in each of its three losses due. Texas Tech ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency, but its offense was shutout in a playoff loss to Oregon.

The Hoosiers didn't hurt themselves, either. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw just six interceptions, and Indiana lost just one fumble all year, which occurred in the first game of the season. That led to the nation's best turnover margin of plus-21.

2. Indiana led the country in average scoring

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) passes against Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cignetti took some heat last season, when he went on ESPN College GameDay before Indiana's CFP loss at Notre Dame and proclaimed, "we don't just beat top-25 teams, we beat the s--- out of them." Indiana didn't beat at top-25 team all of last season, but Cignetti led James Madison to a 47-7 win over No. 23 Coastal Carolina back in 2022.

Now, Cignetti can really back up that claim. Indiana steamrolled No. 9 Illinois 63-10, and then beat No. 9 Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl and took down No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in Peach Bowl. The Hoosiers also beat Kennesaw State, Indiana State, Michigan State, UCLA, Maryland, Wisconsin and Purdue by at least 24 points.

That led to the Hoosiers having the nation's highest average scoring margin at plus-21.7. Only four other teams –– Texas Tech, Notre Dame and Ohio State –– finished above plus-20.

3. Indiana beat more winning teams than anyone

Indiana's E.J. Williams (7) signals for a first down against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some criticized Indiana for what was perceived as a weak schedule going into the 2025 season, mostly due to nonconference matchups against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State. But no matter how you look at it, those criticisms proved to be misguided.

Because by the end of the season, Indiana had the most wins against FBS teams with a winning record among Power Four teams, according to CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli. No one can say Indiana benefitted from an easy path or ducked competition.

Here’s the list.

• Indiana - 10
• Oregon - 8
• BYU - 7
• Miami - 7
• Ohio State - 7
• Alabama - 6
• Duke - 6
• Ole Miss - 6
• USC - 6

For the Hoosiers, that included Old Dominion (10-3), Kennesaw State (10-4), Illinois (9-4), Iowa (9-4), Oregon (13-2, twice), Penn State (7-6), Ohio State (12-2), Alabama (11-4) and Miami (13-3). Indiana finished the season No. 10 in strength of schedule and No. 1 in strength of record.

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