Indiana University, long regarded as a basketball stronghold, will contest the college football national championship on Monday, completing a spectacular worst-to-first transformation that has stunned the sport.
The program's historical struggles are well documented. Through nearly 140 seasons, Indiana has amassed 715 losses, the most of any top-level programme until Northwestern surpassed that tally late last year. Of 29 previous head coaches, only seven finished with winning records.
This season, however, the Hoosiers have been flawless. They have won all 15 games by an average of 31.1 points, defeating five top-10 opponents by an average of more than two touchdowns. Their path to the final includes victories over defending national champion Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, 18-time national champion Alabama in the playoff quarter-final, and conference rivals Oregon in the semi-final.
The turnaround is credited to head coach Curt Cignetti, a former assistant on Nick Saban's inaugural Alabama staff. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has spoken of the intensity brought by the defence, which he believed was either the best in the country or a sign that his own ability was lacking.
Fans have embraced the run. Eddie R Cole, a former IU graduate student now a professor at UCLA, described the season as 'a daydream', noting that after the Alabama victory the Rose Bowl remained three-quarters full with Indiana supporters – more than the capacity of their home stadium. 'The reality is just beyond me,' he said.
Indiana face 10th-seeded Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday, seeking their first national title. Regardless of the outcome, the Hoosiers have already etched their names into college football history.
