Indiana Football Announces Details for Championship Celebration: What to Know

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football won't have a parade through Bloomington to celebrate the Hoosiers' College Football Playoff National Championship game victory over Miami, but it will nonetheless have a large gathering to commemorate the program's first title.

Here's what to know about Indiana football's championship celebration, which starts at 1 p.m. Saturday inside Memorial Stadium.

Itinerary for Saturday's ceremony

Indiana Athletics released full details regarding Saturday's schedule in a social media post Tuesday night.

Here's the schedule:

10 a.m.: Lots open
11:30 a.m.: Memorial Stadium gates open
Noon: Walk to the rock
1 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Championship celebration

The Hoosiers will provide commemorative championship rally towels, and there will be limited concessions available. Indiana's team store will be open.

Saturday afternoon's weather is projected to be chilly. According to the Weather Channel, there's a high of 14 degrees, though it comes in the afternoon. When gates open, the temperature is expected to hover around 9 degrees.

For those unable to attend or disinterested in enduring the conditions, Big Ten Network will broadcast the ceremony live.

No details about speakers or activities within the half-hour window have been released, though similar gatherings by other teams have often included speeches from the head coach and key players. Thus, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, linebacker Aiden Fisher, center Pat Coogan and others may take turns at the microphone.

How fans can see the National Championship trophy in person

The College Football Playoff National Championship trophy will be on display twice this week in Bloomington for free, public viewing experiences, according to a press release.

The trophy will first be shown from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Kroger stationed on 1175 S. College Mall Road. There's another exposure the following day, as the trophy will be displayed from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at Walmart on 3313 IN-45.

According to the release, it's the real trophy hoisted by Cignetti and the Hoosiers' players on stage during post-game celebrations at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Saturday is another chapter in celebrations, but hardly the first

Hundreds, if not thousands, of Indiana fans camped outside of bars overnight Sunday and throughout the day Monday to secure prime seating for the national championship game. When the clock hit zero, bars emptied and Kirkwood Avenue became a sea of cream and crimson.

Fans packed together across multiple blocks on Bloomington's most popular strip. Some climbed on light posts. All sang Indiana fight songs and common chants.

Here ya go @notthefakeSVP @StanfordSteve82 @SportsCenter ...

Views courtesy of The People's Bar : from high above the streets of Bloomington, Indiana.

Home to the undefeated National Champion Indiana Hoosier football team !!

(🎥 by Charles Audu) pic.twitter.com/wIzVLENhQX
— The Upstairs Pub (@UpstairsPub_IU) January 20, 2026

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza said the Hoosiers are aware of the mass celebration they prompted in Bloomington, and he anticipates the party continuing through Saturday's ceremony.

"There was videos after the game of Kirkwood, and someone tried to show my teammates and myself, and you couldn't even see the street there was so many people," Mendoza said Tuesday morning. "It was like a flood. I think that just epitomizes the Hoosier spirit and foreshadows the many long celebrations there are going to be in Bloomington.

"I think like Coach (Cignetti) said before, Bloomington has been a predominantly basketball town and basketball city for the longest time, and it's a great honor and privilege to be a part of the team that brings its first National Championship, and I can only imagine what all the Hoosiers are looking forward to celebrating this week."