The 2025 Indiana football season was nothing short of magical. The Hoosiers had a dominant regular season and were ranked as the top team in the College Football Playoff. They had a bye in the College Football Playoff before playing Alabama in the Rose Bowl, and they dominated the Crimson Tide before also dominating Oregon and then escaping against Miami to win the national championship.
Indiana football center Pat Coogan was on the latest episode of “Wake Up Barstool” and was talking about the run that the Hoosiers went on and the Rose Bowl against Alabama, specifically. He specifically talked about the Rose Bowl and the moment he knew the Hoosiers had broken the Crimson Tide and were going to advance to the semifinals.
Coogan, “Probably the start of the fourth quarter, we started with the ball like on the plus 30. And then we ripped off an outside zone for like 25 for a TUD. And I was like, you know that feeling, like oh yeah.”
“They're arguing with each other,” Coogan continued. “And you hear them arguing, and you just kind of giggle because you know what’s about to happen. I mean, we went into halftime, and it was 17 – 0 just like it was in Oklahoma. It was not, and I guess that’s kind of the story of our whole year, but just like the complacency. I mean, we wanted to dominate, and we did, so that was a great day.”
The Indiana offensive line dominated against Alabama. They dominated so much that Pat Coogan was actually named the MVP of the Rose Bowl. Indiana ran for 215 yards on the ground and scored two different touchdowns. Fernando Mendoza was kept relatively clean by the offensive line, too, only getting sacked three times. Mendoza also threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns, going for 14/16, with zero turnovers.
The Hoosiers showed big programs like Alabama, Oregon, and Miami that they belong in that same tier, and in the case of Oregon and Alabama, they can be dominant.
Indiana is set up to continue to excel as a program because this national title is something the Hoosiers will only build on.
