BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 31: Indiana Hoosiers Head Coach Curt Cignetti with Indiana University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson following a college football game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Indiana Hoosiers on October 31, 2026 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 31: Indiana Hoosiers Head Coach Curt Cignetti with Indiana University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson following a college football game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Indiana Hoosiers on October 31, 2026 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images · Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Relax, everyone (and I do mean everyone). The news you’ve surely been waiting for is likely close at hand.

Indiana football is seeking to add a power conference opponent to its non-conference schedule in 2027 in accordance with the incoming 24-team College Football Playoff that’s almost certain to itself become official. This comes via reporting from Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.

The Big Ten, as of right now, does not require conference members to play at least one power conference opponent in the three-game non-conference schedule. The SEC and ACC do, and that became a bargaining chip in discussions to move forward with further playoff expansion.

That playoff expansion, as previously noted, is not yet official. Yet teams are still making moves ahead of time, with Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson confirming to The Athletic that discussions are underway to add a power conference opponent next season. As of now, Indiana’s 2027 non-conference schedule is made up of Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State and Indiana State.

That’s as official as it’s getting. It takes two to tango, someone’s going to have to want to play the Hoosiers, so we’ll see where these talks ultimately lead.

Indiana’s scheduling strategy predates Curt Cignetti’s hiring as head coach, with the athletic department working to cancel a previously agreed to series with Louisville during the final year of Tom Allen’s tenure in 2023.

That was a decision made to set up an easier path for postseason play. Indiana had long struggled to reach the 6-win benchmark for bowl eligibility in the old Big Ten East, playing all of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State every year. The Hoosiers needed all three non-conference games to be wins to have a reliable shot at postseason play with opportunities against Rutgers, Maryland and Michigan State and a Big Ten West crossover to get to three more wins. The scheduling decisions were almost certainly made with those bowl berths in mind, building a winning culture over time.

Then Indiana hired Cignetti. I don’t need to remind you what happened next.

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Source: Yahoo Sports