Urban Meyer Names Major College Coach Facing High Expectations After 2025 Season

Urban Meyer believes this Big Ten coach is facing unprecedented pressure ahead of the 2026 college football season.

Nov 25, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer broadcasts from the set of Fox Big Noon Kickoff prior to the NCAA football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Indiana's improbable run to win the 2026 College Football Playoff has led to the most anticipated encore performance in program history.

Whether in Division II, FCS, Group of Six or the Power Four, Curt Cignetti has succeeded at every stop on his head coaching journey. Now, Cignetti is tasked with making the good times last at Indiana, something that has never happened before.

Urban Meyer believes Cignetti is facing a new kind of pressure in 2026

Nov 8, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks on the sideline during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now that Indiana has won a national championship, it is no longer viewed as an underdog by the rest of the college football world.

Only two programs have repeated as national champions since the dawn of the BCS era: Alabama (2011 and 2012) and Georgia (2021 and 2022). Former head coach and FOX college football analyst Urban Meyer discussed the new challenges awaiting Cignetti on a recent edition of "The Triple Option."

"How does he respond after a national championship?" Meyer said. "I remember those were tough years in my career, years after the national championship, just because expectations, the players change, the coaches change. The fan base now, they're going to expect you to win, how is he going to handle that?"

Cignetti was able to retain his coordinators from the national championship run, but there are some significant changes in player personnel. The Hoosiers bring in new starters from the portal at nine different positions, notably a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and a pair of defensive ends.

The schedule is also increasing in difficulty with home tests against Ohio State and USC, and trips to Michigan and Washington. Indiana has what it takes to return to the College Football Playoff, but it now has a target on its back.

How did Meyer's teams fare after national championship seasons?

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Joshua Perry (37) tackles Michigan State Spartans running back Gerald Holmes (24) at Ohio Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

2007 was the first of Meyer's two seasons after national championship runs at Florida. The Gators finished that season 9-4 overall, suffering a pair of early losses to Auburn and at eventual BCS national champion LSU to eliminate them from contention.

The 2009 season was the closest any of Meyer's teams came to repeating a national championship. The Gators finished the regular season undefeated, but a loss to eventual BCS national champion Alabama in the SEC Championship cost them a chance at a repeat.

Following its national title in the inaugural College Football Playoff, Ohio State barely missed the second installment. The Buckeyes ended the 2015 regular season at 11-1, but the loss was on a walk-off field goal to eventual Big Ten champion Michigan State.