ESPN analyst Kevin Clark made a bold declaration about the defending national champions during Monday’s edition of “First Take,” asserting that the Indiana Hoosiers stand as the Big Ten’s strongest candidate to claim another College Football Playoff title.
“Indiana is the most likely Big Ten team to win the National Championship. They are that good,” Clark said on the program.
The official First Take account shared the clip on X, highlighting Clark’s confidence in the Hoosiers’ ability to repeat as champions despite significant roster turnover from their historic 2025 campaign.
Indiana completed a perfect 16-0 season last year, tying the modern FBS record for victories in a single season and securing the program’s first national championship with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the title game. The Hoosiers also captured their first Big Ten championship since 1967 along the way.
Head coach Curt Cignetti has engineered one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent college football history. In two seasons at Indiana, he has compiled a 27-2 overall record, including a 17-1 mark in Big Ten play, while guiding the team to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances.
The Hoosiers enter the 2026 season ranked No. 6 in both the Associated Press and coaches preseason polls, the highest preseason ranking in program history. They trail only Ohio State and Oregon among Big Ten teams in those rankings and received multiple first-place votes.
Indiana lost Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendoza, along with several other key contributors. The team has turned to TCU transfer Josh Hoover at quarterback and added transfers such as Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh to bolster the offense.
Oddsmakers list Indiana at +900 to win the national championship, placing the Hoosiers among the top contenders nationally. They are also listed as heavy favorites to reach the College Football Playoff, with odds of -350.
Some analysts have expressed skepticism about a repeat. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum recently said the Hoosiers face a tougher schedule this season, including a difficult October stretch against Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan, and will not win another title.
“Slow down a little bit. … You had your day, you’ll have some fun, but you’re not winning the national championship this year,” Finebaum said.
Clark’s comments come as the Big Ten continues to assert itself as a dominant conference. The league has produced the past three national champions, with Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana each claiming the title in successive years.
Indiana opens its title defense on Sept. 5 against North Texas at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. The Hoosiers’ nonconference slate also includes Howard and Western Kentucky before conference play begins.
Cignetti has repeatedly emphasized culture and system continuity as keys to sustained success. Many of the team’s core schemes on both sides of the ball remain intact, providing a foundation for the new pieces to integrate.
Preseason projections from various outlets range from Indiana finishing as high as No. 1 overall to settling in the top 10. One national magazine picked the Hoosiers to win the national championship again.
The debate over Indiana’s ceiling reflects broader questions about whether last season’s magic can be sustained without Mendoza’s dual-threat ability. Clark, however, sees a roster and coaching staff capable of overcoming those losses.
As the season approaches, Clark’s endorsement adds to the growing conversation about whether the Hoosiers can become the first team in the College Football Playoff era to successfully defend a national title.
Indiana’s rapid rise has already rewritten expectations for a program that previously held the distinction of having the most losses in major college football history. Now the focus shifts to whether that success can continue at the highest level.
With the Big Ten loaded with talent from top to bottom, Clark’s claim positions the Hoosiers as the team to beat within the conference race for a return to the national championship game.
