Jonathan Hutton: Indiana Deserves Recognition For Title, Says Hoosiers Didn't Just Beat 'System'

It wasn't long ago, in May 2025, that Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said that going 16-0 in modern college football was a virtual impossibility. This idea of somebody's gonna go 16-0 in college football. Man, put a statue up somewhere of that team. Because I just don't know if that's gonna happen again," he said. 

Then, earlier this week, Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers finished out an undefeated 16-0 season by beating the Miami Hurricanes to win a National Championship. You'd think that would be enough, given what one of the most prominent coaches in the sport said about the difficulty of going 16-0, for the Hoosiers to receive unanimous praise from the sports media community.

Heck, even Paul Finebaum, a hardcore SEC booster, gave Indiana their due, issuing an apology video for doubting Cignetti and the Hoosiers, then admitting that the Big Ten is the best conference in America. 

RELATED: Paul Finebaum Issues Incredible 'Mea Culpa' Apology On Indiana, Big Ten Conference

But that's not how sports media operates, and sure enough, there have been plenty of college football personalities coming out of the woodwork to try and poke holes in Indiana's accomplishments. On a new episode of OutKick's "Hot Mic" show with Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow however, they weren't hearing any of it.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers raises the National Championship Trophy after Indiana defeated the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)

Jonathan Hutton Goes After Indiana Hoosiers' Critics

Hutton brought up Rob Parker, who diminished Indiana's win by saying it was a product of "the system."

"I heard Rob Parker say this," Hutton said, "'Indiana just beat the system. They didn't win a title. They just had a victory over the system of college football right now.'" 

"Man, I mean, if we're just reacting to what we just saw from the Indiana Hoosiers football team, going through the gauntlet for two years now, not just one, but going what 11 and two in year one and then the unbeaten season this year. And to think, ‘man, they just beat the system.’ What? Beating the system would be what we're seeing from all of the transfer portal in and out. I don't see many of the great players leaving Indiana, but I see a lot of pivots from the top of college football in and up." 

Hutton said it's not just the portal helping the Hoosiers reach new heights, it's the "culture" under Curt Cignetti that's changed the program and turned them into a juggernaut.

"That's the difference here is the culture," he continued. "And there's a true 180 degree view that I have on that program compared to the top, the upper echelon of college football. There's a distinct difference between the two that's not just beating the system. That's a winning program and, because of NIL, it's created the opportunity to actually be able to see a college coach do it the right way, and not have to automatically think ‘oh, you know, they just had Mark Cuban.’

Hutton explained that the Hoosiers demonstrated that building a top program isn't just about throwing money at every available player. And finding players who want to be there is vitally important.

"Mark Cuban is actually saying some common-sense things on the sideline, 'If a guy wants to demand more, if he's demanding more money, that's not good for our program. He doesn't fit our locker room.' That's what I want to hear. That's not beating the system. That is actually running it and leading. And so, yeah, it's absurd to think that all of a sudden Indiana is now the one who is somehow going around the edges instead of actually doing it the right way." 

Plenty of programs have turned their futures around by pouring money into transfer portal players. And obviously Indiana did benefit substantially from the portal, especially with quarterback Fernando Mendoza. But their recruiting rankings and NIL funding sit far, far below teams like Texas Tech, Georgia, or Alabama. They won anyway. And that's a testament to Cignetti and the job he did getting buy in from players, developing team discipline, and getting the most out of their roster. That's worthy of celebrating, not diminishing by calling it a "system" win. 

Check out the full clip below: