What will be the toughest matchup for Indiana football in 2025? A road game that can ‘prove their staying power’

Are expectations raised for Indiana football? Absolutely. And that’s not just from inside the locker room. After an 11-2 season and College Football Playoff appearance in year one of the Curt Cignetti era, year two comes with a heightened level of excitement and standards as 2024 laid the groundwork for what’s to come for the Hoosiers.

After being an unranked team entering the 2024 season and one that was picked to finish 17th in the Big Ten alone, Indiana wrapped up the year ranked 10th in the final AP poll and has more momentum than ever heading into spring practice.

But can the type of success that was found this year be replicated next season? Indiana quickly became the talk of the college football world after its start and hosting College GameDay, in addition to playing in another.

Then, it was the national ‘talking heads’ that kept IU in the conversation — but not the way they hoped. The narrative around Indiana football went from ‘a good story’ to ‘is this really a potential playoff team’ to ‘this team is a fraud’. After all of the dust settled, IU’s two losses this year came to the final two teams playing; the eventual National Champion in Ohio State and the runner up with Notre Dame.

So looking ahead to Indiana’s schedule in 2025, there is once again a path to double-digit wins. However, IU will be hunted this year, not the hunter. So, which game stands out above the rest. It’s a road matchup against Penn State that can ‘prove their staying power’ when it comes to national relevancy.

“Indiana’s only two losses in 2024 came against Ohio State and Notre Dame — the two teams that competed in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Hoosiers were criticized for going 0-2 in those contests while stacking wins against lesser teams. They can shed that narrative and prove their staying power against Penn State,” CBS Sports national reporter Will Backus wrote.

Penn State comes as the 10th game of the season for Indiana and is on the tail of back-to-back matchups on the road, beginning with Maryland.

It is also the fourth road game of the season — all quality opponents beforehand. IU plays at Iowa, at Oregon and at Maryland before its matchup at Penn State. At that point, Indiana will clearly be tested, included a home matchup against a projected top-15 team in Illinois in IU’s first Big Ten game of the year.

The Nittany Lions return a large core from a team that made it to the College Football Semifinals this year — heading by quarterback Drew Allar and running back Nicholas Singleton.

Regardless of what happens against Penn State, the schedule won’t be ‘easy’ as was the narrative in 2024.

So, Indiana football will not only be tested, but will have numerous opportunities to once again prove that 2024 is no fluke.

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated, part of the Full Ride Network, on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.

Looking for a place to get more Indiana content? Hoosier Illustrated has partnered with Tom Brady’s company ‘Autograph’ to streamline our coverage, so you can continue to do what you do best – follow IU sports. Use the CODE: Indianafr to get started today. For more info, you can start here.