MissionCFB

Had an amazing time at @ClemsonTigers last night while we checked @ClemsonFB off as the 96th team on our journey to see every FBS college football team in the country. It’s a great place for a game with incredible people!

We were at THIS game, first Enter Sandman after Covid season and it was electric!

130 schools said no. He led the losingest program in college football history to a national championship anyway. Fernando Mendoza was a 2-star recruit from Miami. He tried to walk on at his hometown school. They passed. So did FIU. So did FAU. So did everyone else. At 17, he was sitting in his bedroom, crying over a silent recruiting inbox—after driving to 18 camps with his dad and sending highlights to more than 100 programs. Not one FBS offer. His only option? Yale. No scholarship. No NFL path. Everyone told him to be “realistic.” “Know your place.” “Be grateful.” He didn’t listen. Because Mendoza understood something most people miss: The worst outcome isn’t failing. It’s never getting the chance to try. Two weeks before signing day in 2022, his phone rang. Cal needed a body. One offer. Out of 134 schools. He took it. He arrived as the third-string quarterback. Spent a year on the scout team. Lost his first four starts. Got sacked 41 times behind a broken offensive line. Still got up. Every time. Then Cal brought in a transfer instead of building around him. So Mendoza left the only school that had ever said yes. He transferred to Indiana—the losingest program in college football history. People laughed. “Career suicide.” “Graveyard program.” “Nobody wins there.” One coach told him something different: “I’m going to make you the best Fernando Mendoza possible.” That was enough. Mendoza wasn’t just playing for football. His mother has battled multiple sclerosis for 18 years. Before every snap, he thought of her. “My mother is my why.” Indiana went 16–0. Beat six Top-10 teams. Won their first Big Ten title since 1945. Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns. Won the Heisman—first in school history. First Cuban-American to ever do it. Then came the title game. Miami. Near his hometown. Fourth-and-4. Season on the line. Quarterback draw. The kid 134 schools rejected spun through defenders and dove into the end zone. Game over. Indiana—national champions. The losingest program became the best team in America. All because a 17-year-old refused to believe “no” was the end. Rankings don’t decide your ceiling. Gatekeepers don’t write your ending. Being overlooked isn’t a verdict—it’s a starting point. Sometimes all you need is one shot… and the courage to bet on yourself when nobody else will. Don’t quit. Credit: Barclay Mullins

Indiana went 16-0 with five wins over teams that made the playoff. None of those wins came at home. They are squarely in the conversation for the best team of all time. #iufb

It just means more.

Curt Cignetti being introduced as head coach of a 3-9 Indiana team and on day one telling their Big Ten rivals they suck is the stuff of legend

Curt Cignetti took over the worst program in college football history and then proceeded to win the school’s first-ever national championship within just two years. It's the most remarkable coaching job in the history of sports.

What a great story!!!

This is a crazy stat.

This was 38 minutes before kickoff…. But the point remains. What Indiana has been able to do is not only impressive, it’s one of the greatest stories in the history of sports.

My view on August 31, 2024. The first game of the Indiana Curt Cignetti era

Indiana football 🤝 Nebraska basketball 15-0 We are officially living in the Upside Down.

Still don't think we appreciate Curt Cignetti walking in Day 1, saying "Purdue sucks... Ohio State and Michigan too." Then, he not only backed it up. He actually somehow undersold what he'd do.

Before Curt Cignetti, Indiana never won 10+ games in a season. IU has now won 15 this year. Before Cignetti, 16 wins was the most for Indiana in a 2-yr span. IU has now won 26 the last 2 yrs. Before Cig, Indiana’s last bowl win was 1991. IU will now play for national title.

The worst program in the country became the best team in the country in less than two seasons. The most unreal CFB story of my lifetime.

Indiana football is 15-0 and will play Miami for the national championship. They entered this year as the losingest CFB program of all time. This is the most stunning turnaround in American sports history. The only thing close that comes to mind is Leicester City in the EPL.

At least Miami gets to play Indiana in their home stadium to attempt to balance things out a bit.

@DanWolken Correct me if I’m wrong, but regardless, they will PLAY for a National Title before they PLAY for an ACC crown.

Miami might win a national championship before it wins an ACC championship.

These pants with the “knee pads” should be illegal. What is this?

Crazy, but true: The PAC-12 has more appearances in the National Championship game than SEC does over the last three seasons.