What exactly is a Hoosier? Your guess is as good as mine—but let’s figure it out.
We’ll dive into Indiana, the school, the nickname, and why a bison represents the program.
For Miami fans who don’t follow the Big Ten much, here’s what you need to know about Indiana:
(2) INDIANA HOOSIERS
Record: 13–0 (9–0 Big Ten)
ESPN Index Ranking: 1
Highest AP Top 25 Ranking: 1
Best Wins:
Things To Know:
Why do they have a Bison as a mascot? Back in the early 1800s, bison actually roamed parts of Indiana and became a symbol of the state. The animal stuck around as a piece of the state’s history, and Indiana eventually leaned into it as a symbol of strength and toughness. The nickname “Hoosiers” ended up becoming the official team name, but the bison stayed as the visual mascot tied to tradition and school pride.
A 4.5-Point Dog: Anyways moving on from my opinion on why they have a Bison as a mascot. As the lower seed, Miami is the underdog in the game with an opening line of 4.5 points. ESPN gives Indiana a 68.3 percent chance to beat the Hurricanes.
They don’t have a single five-star on the roster: What that tells you is this team is flat-out well coached by Curt Cignetti. Not even the Heisman winner, Fernando Mendoza, was highly ranked coming out of high school.
This isn’t a fluke, either. Indiana has beaten the brakes off just about everyone they’ve faced this season.
Picked 6th in the Big Ten: The panel that evaluated Curt Cignatti's team didn’t get voted the No. 1 team in the preseason Big Ten rankings as Penn State who didn’t even finish inside the top-3 in the Big Ten was picked No. 1 team. The Hoosiers did make the media eat their words as they finished No. 1 in the polls.
All Time Series: Miami and Indiana have only met twice in football history, as they split the series 1–1 with games played in the 1960s.
Head Coach Curt Cignetti: Curt Cignetti is one of—if not the—best coaches in college football. I said it at the start of the season and I’ll say it again: this guy is the real deal and has a chance to be the next Nick Saban. Cignetti has won everywhere he’s been. He turned around programs at the FCS level, dominated at James Madison, and turned Indiana into a football school.
Curt also always looks like this—even if Indiana is blowing a team out by 30.
We’ll have plenty more to come tomorrow as the Hurricanes get ready for the Hoosiers.
We’ll dive into Indiana, the school, the nickname, and why a bison represents the program.
For Miami fans who don’t follow the Big Ten much, here’s what you need to know about Indiana:
(2) INDIANA HOOSIERS
Record: 13–0 (9–0 Big Ten)
ESPN Index Ranking: 1
Highest AP Top 25 Ranking: 1
Best Wins:
- vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes — 13–10 W (Big Ten Championship Game)
- vs. Michigan Wolverines — 31–17 W
- at Penn State Nittany Lions — 24–20 W
- vs. Wisconsin Badgers — 28–14 W
- None (undefeated)
Things To Know:
- Indiana is located in Bloomington, Indiana, roughly 1,200+ miles from Coral Gables
- The Hoosiers were founded in 1820 and are making their first-ever appearance in the College Football National Championship
- Indiana is best known historically as a basketball school, but this season has completely changed the football program’s perception
- Famous Indiana alums include Anthony Thompson, Antwaan Randle El, and Tevin Coleman
- The Bison is the official mascot
- Indiana went undefeated in the regular season and capped it off by beating Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship
- The Hoosiers entered the season unranked and finished as the No. 1 team in the country
Why do they have a Bison as a mascot? Back in the early 1800s, bison actually roamed parts of Indiana and became a symbol of the state. The animal stuck around as a piece of the state’s history, and Indiana eventually leaned into it as a symbol of strength and toughness. The nickname “Hoosiers” ended up becoming the official team name, but the bison stayed as the visual mascot tied to tradition and school pride.
A 4.5-Point Dog: Anyways moving on from my opinion on why they have a Bison as a mascot. As the lower seed, Miami is the underdog in the game with an opening line of 4.5 points. ESPN gives Indiana a 68.3 percent chance to beat the Hurricanes.
They don’t have a single five-star on the roster: What that tells you is this team is flat-out well coached by Curt Cignetti. Not even the Heisman winner, Fernando Mendoza, was highly ranked coming out of high school.
This isn’t a fluke, either. Indiana has beaten the brakes off just about everyone they’ve faced this season.
Picked 6th in the Big Ten: The panel that evaluated Curt Cignatti's team didn’t get voted the No. 1 team in the preseason Big Ten rankings as Penn State who didn’t even finish inside the top-3 in the Big Ten was picked No. 1 team. The Hoosiers did make the media eat their words as they finished No. 1 in the polls.
- Penn State (11)
- Ohio State (10)
- Oregon (2)
- Illinois
- Michigan
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- USC
- Washington
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan State
- Rutgers
- UCLA
- Maryland
- Northwestern
- Purdue
All Time Series: Miami and Indiana have only met twice in football history, as they split the series 1–1 with games played in the 1960s.
Head Coach Curt Cignetti: Curt Cignetti is one of—if not the—best coaches in college football. I said it at the start of the season and I’ll say it again: this guy is the real deal and has a chance to be the next Nick Saban. Cignetti has won everywhere he’s been. He turned around programs at the FCS level, dominated at James Madison, and turned Indiana into a football school.
Curt also always looks like this—even if Indiana is blowing a team out by 30.
We’ll have plenty more to come tomorrow as the Hurricanes get ready for the Hoosiers.
