Indiana: The sleeping giant that wasn't
The Hoosiers had rarely been mentioned as a program to watch out for. Given their resources, maybe they should have been.
PASADENA, Calif. — In the aftermath of the annihilation, Pam Whitten blended right in.
Indiana’s president was the last person from the Hoosiers’ traveling party to make her way off the field when she was spotted by a dozen or so fans who wanted a picture with the woman who has overseen the school’s football resurgence.
Less than two years ago, the faculty passed votes of no confidence in her.
Here on the first day of 2026, she was the toast of the town.
The one-time losingest program in the country is now the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff. Indiana enters Friday’s Peach Bowl against Oregon just two wins away from a national title.
Could Whitten, wearing her black Rose Bowl Champs cap, believe it?
Yes, actually.
“So truly, this became an expectation when I started four-and-a-half years ago, that if we’re gonna play football, we’re gonna play football right,” Whitten told The Inside Zone. “So we started some hard work in terms of raising money and creating infrastructure and hiring the right coach. And we have the best athletic director in the country, right, in Scott Dolson. And obviously (Curt Cignetti) is a fantastic coach and a fantastic person.
“But the expectation is to win a national championship. So this is great. It’s game one. We’ve got two to go.”
Seven stories up, a suite bearing benefactor Mark Cuban’s name spoke to the widespread impact of this Indiana run.
