Last season was a special one for Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers. The football team won the national championship for the first time in the program’s history. That’s the stuff from which dreams are made.
Now, of course, the program is forging ahead without Fernando Mendoza, who’s a quarterback in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders now. Whenever a team loses a piece as important as Mendoza, there are questions about whether they’ll be as good, or good at all, next season.
So, NFL analysts and experts have been discussing whether the Hoosiers will still be a real contender without Mendoza heading up their offense. One analyst says that answer is, “yes.”
Indiana remains No. 1 despite losing Mendoza
On Tuesday, Chris Vannini of The Athletic released a tally of the best college football teams ahead of the new season. He has Indiana at No. 1, even without Mendoza.
The reason is simple: They added talent. They have one of the most promising rosters in all of college football going into the fresh season.
“The defending national champs are disrespected by their No. 6 ranking in the preseason coaches and AP polls,” he notes. “Would that have happened if a different logo were on the helmet?”
He adds, “Additions like running back Turbo Richard and receiver Nick Marsh will help new quarterback Josh Hoover. The Hoosiers remain the team to beat.”
QB Josh Hoover is a transfer from TCU. In four seasons with the Horned Frogs, Hoover went 771-of-1,183 for 9,629 yards, 71 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He also has eight touchdowns on the ground.
So, no Mendoza? No problem. This team is set up to succeed beyond one star player, and that’s something we can expect to see unfold in the coming months.
