Coach Griff’s Five Things That Matter

Preseason football produces an endless supply of rankings, predictions and camp observations.

Some of it matters. Much of it disappears the moment the season begins.

Coach Griff’s Five Things That Matter is designed to separate the important football questions from the noise. As Indiana prepares to open its national-title defense against North Texas, these are the five issues that will shape the start of the 2026 season.

1. The defending national champions begin at No. 6

Indiana went 16-0, won the Big Ten, earned the top seed in the College Football Playoff and completed the season with a national championship.

The reward is a No. 6 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.

Ohio State and Oregon occupy the top two spots, followed by Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas. Indiana is only the seventh returning national champion in the last 40 years to begin the following season outside the top five.

Is that disrespect?

Perhaps. It is also irrelevant once the ball is kicked.

The ranking can be useful if Cignetti turns it into focus rather than grievance. Indiana no longer needs outside validation. The program has already shown that it can beat elite opponents and handle the pressure of championship football.

The more important question is how the Hoosiers respond to being hunted. Every opponent will have an offseason plan designed specifically for Indiana. The champion must prepare for each game as if it has proved nothing.

That is why No. 6 matters—not because the number determines Indiana’s ceiling, but because it reveals the new world the program occupies.

2. Josh Hoover must manage the transition, not imitate Fernando Mendoza

Replacing a Heisman Trophy winner is an impossible assignment if the new quarterback treats it as a comparison.

Josh Hoover should not attempt to become Fernando Mendoza.

Hoover arrives from TCU with 31 career starts, 16 games with at least 300 passing yards and extensive experience carrying an offense. His arm talent and confidence are established. The coaching work is in decision-making, timing and ball security.

Indiana’s offense should give him support. A strong running game can keep the unit on schedule. A veteran left tackle in Carter Smith can stabilize protection. A deep receiver room gives Hoover answers against different coverages. An elite defense should prevent him from feeling that every possession must end with a touchdown.

The quarterback’s job is to operate the offense, not rescue it.

Watch Hoover on third down, in the red zone and during the final four minutes of a close game. Those situations will tell us more than an August completion percentage.

3. Indiana must find its best five offensive linemen

Cignetti has said the roster could include as many as 17 offensive linemen in fall camp. Depth is valuable, but a championship offense still plays five at a time.

Carter Smith, Drew Evans and Bray Lynch provide returning experience. Joe Brunner adds a proven transfer option, and Adedamola Ajani remains part of the competition.

The critical job is replacing Pat Coogan at center. Indiana must replace his communication and leadership as well as his snaps.

An offensive line is not an all-star team. The five most talented individuals do not automatically form the best unit. Coaches must find the combination that communicates, handles movement, passes off pressure and plays with consistent leverage.

Position flexibility can help during camp. By the time the schedule reaches Ohio State and Michigan, continuity matters more.

If Indiana identifies its best five and builds quality depth behind them, the offense has the foundation to remain balanced. If the lineup stays unsettled, every other offensive strength becomes harder to access.

4. The defensive line can drive the entire team

Indiana’s defensive front may be the best position group on the roster.

Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino provide a proven interior core. Chiddi Obiazor, Tobi Osunsanmi and Josh Burnham strengthen the edge rotation. Joe Hjelle adds size inside. Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt can raise the ceiling further as they return to full strength.

Depth changes more than the substitution pattern.

If Indiana can rush four and affect the quarterback, Bryant Haines can keep seven defenders in coverage. If the front controls gaps, Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones can play fast and downhill. If multiple units can rotate without a major drop-off, Indiana can remain fresh late in games and over the course of the season.

That freedom makes Haines’ pressure packages more dangerous. The offense cannot assume pressure is coming simply because Indiana shows a five-man front. The Hoosiers can rush four from unexpected locations, bring the nickel or drop an edge defender into coverage.

The championship defense was fast, physical and relentless. The 2026 unit may have enough depth to become even more flexible.

5. Indiana’s schedule is a test of recovery and maturity

The schedule’s marquee games are obvious: Ohio State at home, Michigan in Ann Arbor, USC in Bloomington and Washington in Seattle.

The hidden challenge is how those games connect.

Indiana travels to Rutgers and Nebraska before hosting Ohio State. The Hoosiers then visit Michigan and return home for Minnesota. In November, they face USC, make the cross-country trip to Washington and finish with Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game.

Championship teams do not merely prepare for the biggest opponent. They recover, reset and handle the next assignment.

The week after an emotional win can be as dangerous as the game itself. Cross-country travel tests routines. Rivalry week ignores the standings. The accumulated physical toll exposes teams without depth.

Indiana’s roster is talented enough to compete with every opponent. Its maturity will determine whether it can perform to that level repeatedly.

What matters most

These five stories connect to one larger question: can Indiana handle success with the same discipline it used to create success?

The preseason ranking will disappear. The depth chart will change. Injuries and emerging players will alter rotations. None of that changes the program’s core requirement.

Prepare well. Protect the football. Win the line of scrimmage. Communicate. Finish.

Indiana has championship talent.

Now it must show championship habits again.