Hoosier Loyalty Fuels Indiana Football’s Surprising Rise

Indiana’s football revival has transformed a small but devoted base into a national story, with longtime fans like 2006 grad Sam Story exemplifying decades of devotion (roughly 12,000–15,000 diehards, potentially more under coach Curt Cignetti). The piece highlights Indiana’s recent run—Big Ten title, Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl wins—and argues that true loyalty outlasts bandwagon talk as the Hoosiers head to a national championship against Miami; the renaissance also broadens Indiana basketball’s fan base and raises the question of which program should lead for the next 20 years.