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Iowa football 2025 early opponent preview: Indiana
Hoosiers could pose significant threat in 2025 following historic 2024 season
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Editor’s note: Fifth in a 12-part series previewing each of Iowa’s 2025 regular-season opponents.
IOWA CITY — Indiana football made quite the statement in Curt Cignetti’s first season.
The Hoosiers — picked to finish 17th out of 18 teams in Cleveland.com’s annual Big Ten preseason media poll — earned a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff and ended the year ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll.
It was Indiana’s highest final AP ranking since 1967. The program’s 11 wins in 2024 were more than the Hoosiers had in 2021, 2022 and 2023 combined.
Depending on what happens with Indiana in the first four weeks of the season, Iowa could potentially have its first shot at a ranked win since 2021 as the Hoosiers visit Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 29 for Iowa’s homecoming game.
ESPN’s post-spring SP+ rankings have Indiana slotted at No. 23 — five spots ahead of the Hawkeyes. The Hoosiers return 62 percent of their production from last year’s history-making team, according to ESPN.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was a big part of Indiana’s surprise success, and he’s off to the NFL. But the Hoosiers have a capable replacement with Fernando Mendoza. The Cal transfer completed 68.7 percent of his passes while throwing 16 touchdowns versus six interceptions. His 144.6 passer rating ranked 36th nationally among qualifying FBS quarterbacks in 2024.
Other notable portal additions include former Notre Dame offensive lineman Pat Coogan and former Maryland running back Roman Hemby.
Some of the key pieces from the Hoosiers’ 2024 defense — one that ranked sixth nationally in points allowed per game and second in yards allowed per play — are back. That includes Indiana’s leading tackler (linebacker Aiden Fisher), sacks leader (defensive end Mikail Kamara) and interceptions leader (safety Amare Ferrell).
Iowa vs. Indiana: 3 things to watch
- Fernando Mendoza vs. Iowa’s secondary. The Hoosiers were 7-0 last year when Rourke threw for at least 220 yards and 9-0 when he completed at least 61 percent of his passes. The more Iowa can neutralize Mendoza’s passing threat, the better Iowa’s chances will be.
- Does Illinois expose any major vulnerabilities for the Hoosiers a week earlier? Indiana will have a significant test the week before as the Bret Bielema-led Illini have plenty of returning production from a team that won nine games in 2024.
- How well does Iowa take care of the ball? The Hawkeyes will likely have less of a margin for error with turnovers against Indiana than in most of their first four games of the 2025 slate.
2025 prognosis
Indiana does not appear to have quite the same firepower as the other two reigning College Football Playoff teams on Iowa’s 2025 schedule. But the Hoosiers still could present a serious (albeit not necessarily insurmountable) challenge at the end of September.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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