Someday, the story of Indiana football might get made into a movie. For decades, the Hoosiers were the worst program in major college football, so irrelevant that media guides once used photos of Memorial Stadium taken during Ohio State visits, because Buckeye fans would completely take over the building.
And now, Indiana sits atop the sport.
Across the country, athletic directors are asking the same question: why can’t that be us?
Obviously, Curt Cignetti types do not grow on trees. A two-year turnaround from 3-9 to 16-0 is not something anyone should expect to replicate. But Indiana’s rise proved something far more important. In the modern era of college football, history matters far less than alignment. The right coach, a clear vision, and the willingness to spend can fundamentally change a program’s trajectory.
These schools look like they have the ingredients to make a similar leap.
SMU
The moment SMU accepted an invitation to the ACC without receiving a dime of television revenue for nearly a decade, the Mustangs made their intentions clear. They were not joining the league to survive. They were joining it to matter.
Then the boosters backed it up, immediately cutting checks to cover the television money the ACC would have provided. That move alone separated SMU from most of its peers.
SMU was at even deeper depths than Indiana when it received the death penalty in 1987, and it took nearly four decades to climb back toward relevance. That climb is finally paying off. The Mustangs broke through to reach the College Football Playoff last season and nearly played for an ACC title again this year.
This is not a feel-good story anymore. This is a program one step away from kicking the door down.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech was never as woebegone as Indiana, so the comparison is not perfect. But the Red Raiders are positioned to become something new simply because they are willing to spend like it.
The loss to Oregon exposed remaining gaps, but Indiana flamed out against Notre Dame last year before coming back much stronger this season. Progress is rarely linear.
Cody Campbell has made it clear that money will not be the obstacle, and Joey McGuire has proven to be a capable leader. With resources, recruiting access, and patience, Texas Tech has the pieces to win big in Lubbock.
Virginia Tech
This one might already be happening.
James Franklin knows how to recruit the state, and the Hokies appear set up for a significant leap. Virginia Tech has a proud past under Frank Beamer, but Beamer has been gone for more than a decade, and the program has not won ten games in 15 years.
Franklin is motivated to climb again after his exit from Penn State, and he now finds himself in a situation with reasonable expectations and real opportunity. Blacksburg is not an easy destination, but it is no harder to reach than State College. The Hokies were once a national force, and it is not difficult to envision them returning to that tier.
Kentucky
Kentucky might be the closest parallel to Indiana on this list.
The Wildcats have never truly competed on a national level in football. There have been brief flashes, but nothing sustained enough to suggest SEC title contention. And yet, the fan base has remained invested, filling the stadium even during lean years.
Will Stein could change that. Kentucky basketball will always come first, just as it does at Indiana. But Indiana proved that a basketball-first school can still build a football winner. If Stein delivers early momentum, Big Blue Nation is more than capable of opening the wallet.
UCLA
Bob Chesney wins everywhere he goes, just like Cignetti.
After taking over at James Madison following Cignetti’s departure, Chesney rebuilt the program from the ground up. The Dukes did not just survive. They thrived, making the College Football Playoff despite having only recently transitioned from FCS.
Before that, Chesney turned Holy Cross into a winner after decades of irrelevance. The pattern is clear. He builds programs, not just seasons.
If UCLA’s donors commit to football and Chesney successfully navigates the West Coast recruiting landscape, the Bruins have every structural advantage necessary to rise quickly.
Vanderbilt
Are the Commodores more than just Diego Pavia? It is starting to look that way.
Recruiting momentum is building, and Vanderbilt’s past two seasons have shown that winning in Nashville is possible, even with academic constraints. The Commodores have beaten Alabama and Tennessee in recent seasons, proof that they are no longer a weekly walkover.
This would be an even bigger shock than Indiana, given Vanderbilt’s SEC membership and academic standards. But the early signs suggest this program may finally have staying power.
Indiana proved that nothing is off-limits anymore. The only question is who believes it enough to try.
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