Over the course of this college football offseason, I’ve touched on a variety of teams that have schedules either too easy or too hard, but we might have one today that is just right—and there’s no one more fitting to be gifted it than the Goldilocks of the sport today: Indiana.
Think for a moment about what makes a schedule “easy”...a weak non-conference stretch, homefield advantage in its biggest moments, maybe some breathers graciously sprinkled all throughout it? Well, the gauntlet waiting on the Hoosiers has each of those training wheels attached.
All the non-con. hurls IU’s way are little guys G6 and under—North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky—with all games unfolding in Bloomington. Could Indiana have hypothetically landed less-threatening teams? Sure, as UNT (while having since been gutted) is coming off a stellar 2025 and WKU is often a winner. But, I don’t think your jaw would drop if I told you that the 16-0 champs should be able to stomach competition a little more daring.
Regarding crucial homefield advantage, Indiana has the privilege of hosting the Ohio State Buckeyes, who stand as the mightiest challengers on the itinerary by a country mile. And of course, as SEC homers always love to highlight, yes: Big Ten play does sometimes include facing less-flattering adversaries, so the Hoosiers do get their fair share of breaks, such as Northwestern, Rutgers, Nebraska and Purdue.
Now, what all takes part in making a schedule “hard” (beyond the opposite of everything we just addressed)? Far and away, the top answer would have to be competing in a deep league.
Yeah, Indiana hosts OSU and will have the luxury of manhandling some stinkers on their way to the postseason, but that doesn’t mean a home game with Brutus is the only terror their slate brings.
After meeting Ohio State, the Hoosiers have four more dates with B1G opponents who finished 2025 with eight wins or more under their belts, including at Michigan, Minnesota, USC, and at Washington. That’s several pieces of depth that IU has to endure, laced with proven coaching and/or chippy road environments.
However, when knowing the type of ship Curt Cignetti runs, do any of those games come off as being particularly high-risk? No.
That puts the Indiana Hoosiers in what most would consider to be a happy medium—around half of the schedule is simple, while the other half is just relaxed enough to survive, yet just intimidating enough to get some credibility from.
Where’s that put us on the 2026 Hoosiers? A probable 11-1 record with a clinched spot in the top 10? I’m starting to think Cig doesn’t even know what a “rebuilding year” is.
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