Indiana's Impressive Rise to National Champions in 2025
Indiana's surprise win over Ohio State and run to the title have solidified them as a top-20 team in College Football history, according to the rankings.
Video Transcript
But were you surprised, like, that Indiana as, you know, the, a team winning their first time, you know, having, like, sustained success, going there.
And listen, they beat some good teams, you know, and they beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.
You look what they did to Alabama.
You look what they did to Miami.
Like, schools that are appearing as, reoccurring characters, I like to say, in, in some of these shows.
Right.
Were you surprised that that 2025 team, you know, made it on there?
I'm not surprised they made it.
Surprised that they were 10.
And, and like I said, when you think about the, the number of great Big Ten teams over the years, I mean, that's the one.
And it, is it recency bias?
I'm not sure.
I mean, they did.
And you go back and look at their season last year, it's, it's impressive.
You know, they do, they win at Oregon.
They win at Penn State.
They win at Iowa.
And, you know, they had fourth quarter comebacks.
Then they beat Ohio State.
I think that legitimized it right there.
Mm-hmm.
The moment they beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, you're like, "Yeah, this team's for real."
And, and then they just dominate in the playoff run.
I mean, a dominant playoff run.
I know the Miami game got close, but yeah, i- it's pretty valid.
You know, the, like I said, the hard part with Ohio State is, is there are Ohio State teams over the years that I think beat that Indiana team?
Absolutely.
But, you know, they spread the voting out.
One thing, I was talking to Marcus Hartman over the weekend at Ohio State practice, and think about how it would, might be different had Ohio State won the national title in 1969 and beat Michigan, and gone on to go back-to-back with that team led by Rex, Rex Kern and Jim Otis and, Stillwagon, a legendary Ohio State team.
They may be, like, in the top five at that point.
What about, you know, like, the teams we were talking about, 4, 02, 14.
14's probably didn't get enough votes.
24 probably didn't get enough votes as the first team.
But when you spread all those out amongst seven Ohio State teams, it makes it a little more difficult.
You know, you mentioned Penn State not having a team on there, Michigan not having a team on there.
Their votes were spread out between '97, 23, and then a 1901 team that I, I'll admit I didn't watch them play.
But, you know, that was in an era of football where it, it's really hard.
You almost have to do two separate lists now that I look back at it, Bobby.
You almost have to do- Well- like, pre-World War II- Yeah and after World War II.
You know what I mean?
And that's what I was looking at, like, and I struggled.
You know, '90s and 2000s, definitely wheelhouse, watching a ton, playing in there.
Felt like I had a pretty good understanding of the '80s.
But, like, '70s, it starts to get a little dicey for me, you know, just as far as I know a lot of Ohio State.
I know, you know, some of the big time programs, but not intricately enough.
And, I know you go on Ryan Fowler's show down in- Yeah Tuscaloosa, and I asked him, I did a poll in the audience a little bit.
I go, "Give me your top three Alabama teams."
And he's like, "Ooh."
And he's, like, going through.
He's like, "Well, which ones are the most nostalgic?
Which ones maybe mean the most?"
I'm like, "Ryan, I don't care.
Like, '02-" Yeah I was a part of, but we weren't the best.
Give me your top three, like, best teams.
If you were to say, This is the best example that we have of what greatness in our program looks like."
And he came out with that 2020 team.
You look at the receivers and how good they were scoring these.
That '11 team with Saban was unbelievable, too.
Really balanced on both sides, and those were kind of the two that he landed on.
And it's, it's crazy to kind of see that, but, you know, some of these teams go back and forth and- Yep trying to figure all that out.
But it seemed like almost, 'cause he goes, he's around our age.
He's like, "I don't have a true knowledge of a lot of the Bear Bryant stuff."
And I felt like it would be almost probably better, but, like, '75 maybe and on, and then kind of before that because I feel like '75, like, that's when there's a delineation a little bit in kind of how the game's being played.
There's more passing, and it kind of seems more of, quote, the modern era of football, if you will.
Well, I, I like what Steele said, that, you know, there, you always hear, like, a, a team from today would beat a team from 1972 or whatever.
Well, that's probably true, but it doesn't mean that, like, Johnny Rogers at Nebraska wasn't Reggie Bush of his era.
