QB Aaron Philo-Hannah White/University of Florida Athletic Association
The Indiana Hoosiers college football team, led by head coach Curt Cignetti, were the darlings of the 2025 NCAA college football regular season. When Cignetti arrived in 2024, he inherited one of the worst college football programs in recent history.
After an early exit to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2025 College Football playoffs, the Indiana Hoosiers cruised to a 12-0 regular season, and then ran the table to go 16-0 and win their first-ever National Championship.
Because college football is the Wild West, the Indiana Hoosiers’ run was driven by the uncontrolled madness of NIL, the transfer portal, and eligibility concerns. The Indiana Hoosiers struck gold in the transfer portal by poaching Fernando Mendoza from the Cal Golden Bears.
Mendoza and several other under-recruited, high-profile transfers came together, with their talent, discipline, and experience as many 5th-year and older players let them run through the rugged Big-10 and the very competitive 12-team playoff.
Let’s take a look at the top 5 college football teams that could replicate the 2025 Indiana Hoosiers in 2026.
1. Texas Longhorns
While they are still saying, “Hook’em” in Austin, Texas, fans also believe this could finally be the year, since 2005, that the Horns, led by Arch Manning, go on a Hoosier run and win the CFP college football playoff. With the SEC now playing nine conference games, the Horns have more flexibility in who they play outside the SEC.
After that wild 24-23 comeback win over the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big-10, the Longhorns are making a statement that the SEC might take the throne back as the premier Power Four conference in college football.
The Horns are already 2-0, similar to the Indiana Hoosiers last year, and could also have the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Horns are also now playing a nine-game conference schedule, which the Hoosiers and the Big 10 have had for the past decade.
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Despite an inconsistent 1-1 start to the 2026 college football season, the Cowboys are flying under the radar this year, and new head coach Eric Morris is taking advantage of it. After laying an egg to Tulsa in the home opener, the Cowboys, led by transfer quarterback Drew Mestimaker, upset a Big-10 opponent at home: the Oregon Ducks.
The Boys are similar to the Indiana Hoosiers in that they play in the exciting Big-12 Conference, which continues to play 9 games, and most of their conference games are high-scoring affairs.
The only concern with the Cowboys is that they are a typical Big-12 team that scores in bunches, but their defense can’t seem to stop oncoming traffic, even when it is right in front of them. However, after some hard times in the last few years of the Mike Gundy era, Morris and Mestimaker can quickly bring back a winner in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
3. Vanderbilt Commodores
Like the Indiana Hoosiers pre-Cignetti, the Commodores were a doormat program in the SEC whose only real highlight was sending former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler to the Denver Broncos in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Then, a young head coach named Clark Lea came in and slowly began transforming the Vanderbilt Commodores football program. Despite all the drama with quarterback Diego Pavia, you can’t deny he truly started the rise of this program when they upset the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2024.
After going 10-3 in 2025, Lea now has a new quarterback in true freshman Jared Curtis, 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, with a strong arm and mobility.
If Vandy proves the last couple of years weren’t a fluke, it may be time to start talking about the Commodores as a “real” football school.
4. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Brendan Sorsby, who? The Red Raiders are off to a blazing 2-0 start and don’t have to “gamble” with luck now that Tommy Castellanos is the starting quarterback. But imagine if Sorsby hadn’t made those costly decisions; Tech could have been title contenders.
Still, Castellanos is an experienced quarterback with a high football IQ and can run through the Big-12 with their patented “air raid offense”. Friday night is their first big test: a home Big 12 matchup against a dark-horse, No. 22-ranked Houston Cougars team looking to end Tech’s reign as the Big-12 power team.
5. Florida Gators
It’s a small sample size, as they’ve played two inferior non-conference opponents. But the 2-0 Gators feel like this could be their year, as Jon Sumrall has them playing like the Florida Gators of the past. The team has a power running game that takes time off the clock and a physical defense that can stop the run and confuse opposing quarterbacks.
The Gators have their first of a nine-game SEC gauntlet when they face the Auburn Tigers in Auburn on Saturday. But the team feels it has what it takes to get through the conference schedule and run the table to win the 2027 CFP Championship, like the 2025 Indiana Hoosiers.
Which College Football Team will Fare Best in 2026?
The 2026 college football season will still be entering game four of the regular season. Now, with all Power Four conferences playing a nine-game conference schedule, these five teams will have a tougher time replicating Indiana last season. While these blue-blood schools have never backed down from a challenge before, this one is no exception.
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