Urban Meyer names the greatest turnaround in college football history

No. 2 Indiana defied the odds and secured its first conference title since 1967, defeating No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday night.

The Hoosiers held the Buckeyes scoreless in the second half, securing the 13-10 victory with an impressive defensive performance. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza made all the key plays, finishing with 222 passing yards and one touchdown, completing 15-of-22 passing attempts.

Indiana's defense held Ohio State to only 58 rushing yards on 26 attempts, averaging an abysmal 2.2 yards per carry. They also made two crucial red zone stops in the second half, including a fourth-down stand inside the 5-yard line. The Buckeyes also missed a 27-yard field goal with 2:48 remaining.

"This is the greatest turnaround in the history of our sport... College football," Meyer said after Indiana's win. "It's not even close.

"... This is the best coaching job I've seen, certainly in my life, and I think in the history of the sport."

“This is the greatest turnaround in the history of our sport!” 🗣️@CoachUrbanMeyer has nothing but praise for how Curt Cignetti turned things around for @IndianaFootball 👏 pic.twitter.com/CBGt2fczgP
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 7, 2025

It was just another historic milestone for head coach Curt Cignetti, who is only in his second season with the Hoosiers. The program finished 3-9 in Tom Allen's final season, but Cignetti wasted no time building the Hoosiers into a championship contender.

In his first season, Cignetti led the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record and the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. During the run to the CFP, Indiana had its first 8-0 start since 1967, along with the first-ever 10-0 start in the program's history.

After a historic season, the Hoosiers carried the momentum into 2025. After Saturday's win, Indiana is projected to be the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. Cignetti has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons, along with the AP Coach of the Year in 2024.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In only two seasons, Cignetti is 24-2 overall and 18-1 in the Big Ten, making this one of the greatest turnarounds, not just in college football, as Meyer stated, but across all sports. To add further perspective, when Cignetti accepted the job, Indiana had the most all-time losses in college football, but Cignetti needed less than 24 months to lead the Hoosiers to a Big Ten championship.

"We are Big Ten Champions, and you talk about changing the way people think, I got three and a half weeks to get this team humble and hungry for the playoffs," Cignetti said in his postgame interview.

Indiana will be the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff, but will have to await its potential matchups until the bracket is revealed Sunday at Noon ET.