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Indiana football claimed the school’s first-ever national championship earlier this week. The Hoosiers’ stunning rise has put into question which program could be next.
Urban Meyer, who coached Florida and Ohio State to national championships, chose. The college football studio analyst believes Rutgers could be the next program to take the sport by storm, saying the Scarlet Knights are in prime position to become “the next Indiana.”
“Give me three programs that could be the next Indiana, meaning teams that are used to losing, have really bad records and can somehow rise from the ashes and become national champions,” Meyer said on “3 and Out,” a podcast Meyer co-hosts with Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram II and Rob Stone.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts with the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
The Hoosiers’ rise from college football’s most loss-laden program to dominance started last season when Curt Cignetti arrived in Bloomington and coached Indiana to its first playoff appearance.
Indiana was defeated in the first round by last year’s eventual national champion, runner-up Notre Dame. But the most recent edition of the playoffs was a very different story. Indiana dominated Alabama in the Rose Bowl before soundly defeating Oregon in the semifinals.
The Hoosiers then outlasted Miami in last Monday’s title game to secure a 16-0 record and claim the national championship trophy.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football helmets sit on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on October 7, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports)
Meyer worked with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano at Ohio State, where the current Rutgers head coach served as the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator for three seasons. In addition to the Scarlet Knights, Meyer also named Rice and Wake Forest as programs that could go from among the worst teams to the best.
INDIANA’S CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: A HISTORIC RACE OF THE NUMBERS
“I have no idea about Rice, no idea about Wake, but I’m going to throw them out there because if Indiana can, they can,” Meyer added. “But I’d say Rutgers because Greg Schiano — like I’m biased; he’s a great friend and a great football coach — he had him in the top five in the country at one point in (2006).”
Urban Meyer on the sideline prior to the 2025 Peach Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinal game between the Oregon Ducks and Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 9, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)
Rutgers got off to a 9-0 start in the 2006 season and rose to No. 7 in the AP Top 25. After winning the Texas Bowl, the Scarlet Knights finished the season ranked No. 12.
Rutgers finished its most recent season with a 5-7 record. The school’s 708 losses currently rank third on college football’s all-time list. Despite recent successes, Indiana still leads college football’s loss list. Rutgers is scheduled to play Indiana in 2026.
” he said on Wednesday’s edition of his Triple Option podcast.
