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Indiana football claimed the school’s first-ever national championship earlier this week. The Hoosiers’ stunning rise has sparked questions about which program could be next.
Urban Meyer, who coached Florida and Ohio State to national championships, made his pick. 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 to become national champion,” Meyer said on “3 and Out,” a podcast Meyer co-hosts alongside 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 Jan. 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 latest edition of the playoffs was a much different story. Indiana dominated Alabama in the Rose Bowl before soundly defeating Oregon in the semifinals.
The Hoosiers then outlasted Miami in this past 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 Oct, 7, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports)
Meyer worked with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano at Ohio State, with the current Rutgers head coach serving 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.
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“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 will say Rutgers because Greg Schiano — who 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 sidelines prior to the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff between the Oregon Ducks and the Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 9, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)
Rutgers got off to a 9-0 start in the 2006 season and surged to No. 7 in the AP Top 25. After winning the Texas Bowl, the Scarlet Knights finished the season ranked No. 12.
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Rutgers ended its most recent season with a 5-7 record. The school’s 708 defeats currently rank third on college football’s all-time list. Despite recent success, Indiana still leads college football’s all-time losses list. Rutgers is scheduled to play Indiana in 2026.
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” he said on Wednesday’s edition of his Triple Option podcast.