Incoming!

dear diary

Dear diary,

THIS YEAR is THE YEAR. I KNOW IT!!!

Yes

While I don't have a way to verify this, but if the avg age of IU is 23 yrs old, then that's the secret to IUs success that most don't understand (have seen stats that could be 22.5 yrs old).

The avg age of the Indiana Hoosiers team is 23 years old....

For perspective the Green Bay Packers avg age this season is 25 years old.

Cignitti knows what he is doing. Grown Man Teams are the way of the future. https://t.co/Q5CGHV8J5a

— Jeremiah (@SYRmotsag) January 8, 2026

90ags said:

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While I don't have a way to verify this, but if the avg age of IU is 23 yrs old, then that's the secret to IUs success that most don't understand (have seen stats that could be 22.5 yrs old).

The avg age of the Indiana Hoosiers team is 23 years old....

For perspective the Green Bay Packers avg age this season is 25 years old.

Cignitti knows what he is doing. Grown Man Teams are the way of the future. https://t.co/Q5CGHV8J5a

— Jeremiah (@SYRmotsag) January 8, 2026

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So….its "old man strength"?

For the OP:

Someone's got to pump the sunshine after all.

I have read this and I wouldn't be surprised if this was the answer (+cignetti is a really good coach). Having an older group of guys definitely helps a lot, no doubt about it.

JebediahOhio said:

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Someone's got to pump the sunshine after all.

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But out yer butt???

Cignetti always has his team ready to play from the opening kickoff. What have you seen in 2 years that makes you think we're ready from the opening kickoff?

jja79 said:

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Cignetti always has his team ready to play from the opening kickoff. What have you seen in 2 years that makes you think we're ready from the opening kickoff?

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I know the answer!!!

Not with Reed at QB. Everything else could be in place, but without that elite QB, we're not winning a NC.

We were a good team this year. We played about as well as anyone in the playoffs vs Miami but the important thing to remember is that this year is gone. We have a completely new team next year. Elko is building next years version of A&M right now. Hopefully he has similar success identifying talent as in the past.

I don't know. Reed definitely ended the season poorly, but I think a lot of it was on play calling (which will likely change under Wiggins). If we can call plays that work to his strengths better, not even to mention how Reed might improve in the offseason.

Also, we don't necessarily need to have an ELITE QB. Beck threw four picks against Louisville, and lost to them and SMU. Beck is really good but I think he has the same inconsistency problem as Reed.

Reed was in the talks for heisman this past year. If he just improves even half as much as he did last offseason, in the areas he needs to improve in, he won't be a season killer.

JebediahOhio said:

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I don't know. Reed definitely ended the season poorly, but I think a lot of it was on play calling (which will likely change under Wiggins). If we can call plays that work to his strengths better, not even to mention how Reed might improve in the offseason.

Also, we don't necessarily need to have an ELITE QB. Beck threw four picks against Louisville, and lost to them and SMU. Beck is really good but I think he has the same inconsistency problem as Reed.

Reed was in the talks for heisman this past year. If he just improves even half as much as he did last offseason, in the areas he needs to improve in, he won't be a season killer.

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Such as? People keep saying this, but the answer is usually just run him more. I don't think that's a realistic solution with his frame and decision-making as a runner. At the end of the day you have a guy with shaky mechanics who, when his mechanics start to fail, can barely hit a screen pass and is very turnover prone.

Don't get me wrong, I love Reed, and he was the answer....... for LAST year.

C.W. was "mentally washed" in summer and fall camp. He had a massive problem between his ears and would have cost the team more losses than wins. Thankfully Elko made the change.

The end of last year was the time to try to spend the $$$ in finding a QB.

Maybe Elko tried. Maybe he tried (is trying) this year too.

Watching Reed is a lot like watching Mond.

The defense and run game HAS to be strong to overcome average+ QB play

Sadly, concerns exist for QB level of play for the 2026 season. Who will be under center? Will Reed improve enough to make the season a success? Or is the next QB already on the roster waiting?

Spending 4 million on a QB is better than spending 4 million on one WR.

Oh well.....it was an awesome season and a blast to watch them.

p.s. You can't teach accuracy

Never stop texags

ArkyAg99 said:

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JebediahOhio said:

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This may sound far fetched and may be a little bit of sunshine pumping but hear me out. There are some similarities between us this past season and Indiana last season.

- break out year under (relatively) new head coach (who both seem to be good in the portal)
- both coming off really bad coaches (although IU had more of a bad line of coaches that go back to the beginning of their program
- make the playoffs for the first time and lose in the first round TO A TEAM THAT MAKES THE NATIONAL TITLE
- lost to big in-state "blue blood" school (tu for us, Notre dame for them)

Of course there are a multitude of other factors and this is purely superstition, but if Miami loses on the 19th I will be 100% convinced we are going undefeated next year.

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Don't worry about all the betas on the board. 95% of them projected 8-4 or worse, and *****ed about any and everything they could up until the loss to tu. Then it was the I told you so bs.

Good points you bring up. Now look at Elko and Kirby Smart their first two seasons. The program is on the right track.

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Yep

I have similar thoughts to the OP

This was our welcome to the party year
Next year will hopefully be the year we host the party

Elko year 2 exceeded all expectations so I don't see any fault with your optimism

OP, I'd say don't do this to yourself if the expectation is for 25 IU results for 26 A&M. Is such a third season possible? Sure. But it's not going to be a apples-to-apples comparison. IU's schedule was ridiculously bad. Kudos to them for winning the 3 games that really mattered. A&M's 26 schedule is difficult, particularly our Temple of Doom month of November. That right there probably means that no, 26 A&M will not be 25 IU.

I'm mostly being facetious. There are a lot of differences between Indiana and A&M in any given year, so I'm mostly just pointing out something silly/interesting I've been thinking about.

BUT I am still quite hopeful for next year. I'm not really expecting a perfect record (especially in the SEC), but I think we definitely can produce similar results to last year.

It's not going to be an apples-to-apples comparison because we have a tougher 2026 schedule with 10 regular season games against Power 4 opponents, especially in our last 5 games against South Carolina (away), Alabama (away), Tennessee (home), Oklahoma (away), and Texas (home). With that schedule, I am expecting a ceiling of 10-2 with likely road losses to Alabama and Oklahoma.

greg.w.h said:

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jja79 said:

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Cignetti always has his team ready to play from the opening kickoff. What have you seen in 2 years that makes you think we're ready from the opening kickoff?

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I know the answer!!!

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Let's hear it. We come out of the gate like we don't even practice.

jja79 said:

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Cignetti always has his team ready to play from the opening kickoff. What have you seen in 2 years that makes you think we're ready from the opening kickoff?

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It's amazing how Cignetti always has his team prepared from the opening kickoff with minimal practice time.

In a sport that caps practice time at a maximum of 20 hours per week, the Hoosiers typically use just six of those on the field. Walk-throughs before and after games are barely as long as an episode of "The Office." Even Cignetti's most arduous sessions fall well short of the two-hour mark.

"I've always been a short practice guy," Cignetti said. "My practices have probably gotten even shorter through the years, as we do everything we can to prepare the team fully but keep them fresh and healthy."

This is all part of Cignetti's "work smarter, not harder" philosophy that is shaking up college football. Outside of Bloomington, no other coach would ever consider leaving a single minute of practice time unused. They equate high performance with extreme preparedness.

Indiana is the Best Team in College Footballand They Barely Practice at All - WSJ