Is Indiana Built to Repeat? A First Look at the 2026 Schedule

Hoosier nation is celebrating like it never has before after Curt Cignetti's football team beat Miami to win the national championship on Monday night.

We all know the story by now - Cignetti comes to Indiana and turns the a traditionally woeful football program into the best in the nation.

In just two years.

While the streets of Bloomington were flooded with celebrations and the party will go well into the week, I'm already thinking ahead to next year.

However, there is at least part of me that feels a little bittersweet as I type this on Tuesday morning.

The national championship being last night means we're as far away from college football, the best sport in the entire world (even with all its flaws), from being played again.

So with that in mind, let's take a quick look at Indiana's 2026 schedule and see what chances the Hoosiers have of making another championship run, as it'll enter the season on the heels of a 16 game winning streak.

Indiana Hoosiers 2026 Football Schedule

Indiana vs. North Texas - Sept. 5

Kind of like Old Dominion this past year, North Texas is not a complete slouch in Week 1 for the Hoosiers. The program that produced Mean Joe Greene will come to Bloomington after putting up an impressive 12-2 record and American Conference Championship game berth this season.

Indiana vs. Howard - Sept. 12

A buy game for the Hoosiers, this one will be a cakewalk as Howard is coming off a 5-7 season in the FCS Mid Eastern Athletic Conference.

Indiana vs. Western Kentucky - Sept. 19

Western Kentucky hails from Conference USA and will take on the Hoosiers for the sixth time since 2008. Indiana has won all of those games and will expect to again, against a Hilltoppers team that went 9-4 last year, and beat Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl.

Indiana's Big Ten Games for 2026

On Tuesday, the Big Ten announced that Indiana and Ohio State will meet for a conference championship rematch on October 17 in Bloomington. We won't know the dates for the rest of the conference games for another week, but do know the opponents, so consider that for the following.

Indiana vs. Minnesota - Date TBD

Minnesota might not be battling for Big Ten championships but has now gone to bowl games in seven of the last eight years after beating New Mexico in the Rate Bowl to finish 8-5 this past season.

Indiana vs. Northwestern - Date TBD

Northwestern will make its first trip to Bloomington for football since 2019 next fall. With it, it'll bring newly hired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as the Wildcats try to climb the conference standings.

Indiana vs. Ohio State - Oct. 17

Indiana battles Ohio State in the 2025 Big Ten Championship gam — Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles (0) tackles Indiana Hoosiers running back Kaelon Black (8) during the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Dec. 6, 2025. Ohio State lost 13-10. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There is a significant chance this game is between a pair of unbeatens and the top two ranked teams in the nation when it takes place in mid-October.

Indiana vs. Purdue - Date TBD

It's not official yet but this one will be on Thanksgiving weekend as it always is. The question is, just how many can the Hoosiers put on Purdue as Indiana has won the last two games by a combined score of 122-3 over the Boilermakers.

Indiana vs. USC - Date TBD

USC hasn't achieved what it was supposed to do under Lincoln Riley through four years. Will it's first trip to Bloomington in program history be a statement game for the Trojans, or more of the same for Indiana?

Indiana at Michigan - Date TBD

Indiana and Michigan battle in 202 — Nov 9, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Kalel Mullings (20) runs with the ball while Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Jailin Walker (2) and defensive lineman Jacob Mangum-Farrar (7) defend in the second half at Memorial Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana has played Michigan just once the last two years and gets a trip to Ann Arbor this fall. Michigan underwent a coaching change as former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is in. Indiana will be looking for its first win in Ann Arbor since 1967.

Indiana at Nebraska - Date TBD

Just like we all would have thought in the 1980s: a football powerhouse taking on a basketball power in Big Ten play.

Indiana at Rutgers - Date TBD

Looking Back on Indiana Football - Shirtless to Roses

Nov 2021 Rutgers smashed IU 38-3 in Bloomington, IU would finish the season 2-10 #iufb

Note the shirtless students gathered in the 2nd Qtr and WR ticker stats for TyFry & DMaC

📣 Are you in the video AND at the Rose Bowl? pic.twitter.com/bNeCTgetaD
— Hoosier Review (@Hoosier_Review) December 31, 2025

The goal for Indiana will be to do to the Rutgers fans what Rutgers did to it just a few short years ago (see above). Rutgers is coming off a 5-7 season in which it won just two Big Ten games.

Indiana at Washington - Date TBD

Travel to the West Coast is never easy, even if the Hoosiers handled business at Oregon this season. Where this game falls on the schedule in comparison to other road games and the bye week will be among the more interesting things to see when the dates are released.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts:

The Indiana Hoosiers are national champions and that should be celebrated until those dawning the cream and crimson can't handle doing it anymore.

Will Josh Hoover play near the level of Fernando Mendoza?

We'll have all off-season to discuss that.

Based off what happened on the field the last two seasons, and off it recently in the transfer portal, the Hoosiers certainly appear to be a program that is built to stay at or near the top. It could very possibly be favored in each of the 12 games listed above.