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Indiana made a bowl game just five times from 1994 through 2023, a span of 30 seasons. In that time, they did not win a bowl game, and an 8-5 2019 season was their best. Then, Curt Cignetti took over as the head coach, leading the Hoosiers to the playoffs twice and winning the National Championship this past season.
At Big Ten Media Days, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema took notice of the amazing turnaround, per Michael Niziolek of The Herald-Times.
“That is single handedly the most impressive story that I’ve witnessed in my college career,” Bielema said.
Bielema has a long history in college football and in the Big Ten. He played at Iowa from 1989 through 192, and would start his coaching career at the GA with Iowa in 1994. The former nose guard left the Big Ten for the first time to become the co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State for two years before moving to Wisconsin. He was the head coach of Wisconsin from 2006 through 2012.
Bielema left Wisconsin after the 2012 season, becoming the Arkansas head coach from 2013 through 2017, before a short stint in the NFL. He returned to the Big Ten and college football in 2021, taking over at Illinois. Illinois started 2025 strong, opening up 3-0 before they ran into Indiana.
“What Cig did, came in and took over a program that historically had been one of the losingest programs and to turn it into two years later and undefeated, and literally ran away with it, right? Like I know what they did to us, right?” Bielema said. “And then, you know, to see them do what they did in the playoffs, that’s not happened in the CFP playoffs. The way they’ve dominated teams is just really impressive.”
Indiana dominated Illinois, which was ranked ninth in the nation at the time. Indiana took a 35-10 lead at halftime, and then would not allow another point, winning 63-10.
The Hoosiers also had an amazing offseason and could be in a position to make a run again in 2026. They open their season on September 5 against North Texas.
Indiana made a bowl game just five times from 1994 through 2023, a span of 30 seasons. In that time, they did not win a bowl game, and an 8-5 2019 season was their best. Then, Curt Cignetti took over as the head coach, leading the Hoosiers to the playoffs twice and winning the National Championship this past season.
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