Indiana Football 2025 Season Preview: Way-Too-Early Predictions, Odds & Schedule

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti engineered one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football history in his first year in Bloomington, but the Hoosiers' dream season ended with a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

It'll be even tougher to match their school-record 11 wins next season with Big Ten powers like Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan loading up in 2025. Can Cignetti rebuild his roster through the transfer portal as he did last season, or will the Hoosiers fall back into the second or third tier of conference contenders?

We're breaking it all down in our Indiana football 2025 season preview with way-too-early predictions, odds, schedule, and transfer portal updates.

Indiana football title odds 2025

Live updated college football odds from our best college football betting sites.

We're still awaiting the opening odds for next year's college football championship odds, though don't expect Indiana to open among the favorites even after reaching the College Football Playoff in Cignetti's first season at the helm.

The Hoosiers entered last season as a +150000 underdog, tied for the worst odds of any Power 4 program, and they relied on the transfer portal to build out the best team in school history. Their odds won't be that long in 2025, but they'll need to remake their roster again while facing a tougher schedule in the Big Ten.

That'll be especially tough to navigate with QB Kurtis Rourke - who made a run at the Heisman Trophy odds down the stretch - joining a host of talented seniors who won't return for last year's Big Ten darlings.

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2025 Indiana football offseason preview

Projected roster movement as of Friday, Dec. 20 and subject to change. All prospect rankings and positions courtesy of .

2025 Indiana football key returning players (projected)

• Tayven Jackson, QB
• Kaelon Black, RB
• Elijah Sarratt, WR
• Omar Cooper Jr., WR
• Carter Smith, LT
• Drew Evans, LG
• Bray Lynch, RG
• Mikail Kamara, DE
• Aiden Fisher, LB
• D'Angelo Ponds, CB
• Jamier Johnson, CB

There will be a lot of fresh faces in Bloomington next year, but the Hoosiers return their two best receivers in Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., along with three starting offensive linemen to protect potential starting QB Tayven Jackson.

The secondary should be in solid shape, too, with first-team All-Big Ten cornerback D'Angelo Ponds and fellow starter Jamier Johnson likely to return. They'll need to step up in 2025 with the Hoosiers losing their starting safeties and so many of the key pieces that helped support the nation's best run defense last year.

Keep an eye on defensive end Mikail Kamara's decision whether to declare for the NFL draft or return for a second season at Indiana. He led the team with 10 sacks last year and would be a massive piece back for this team's thinned pass rush.

2025 Indiana football key losses, transfer portal updates

• Kurtis Rourke, QB (graduation)
• Elijah Green, RB (transfer portal)
• Justice Ellison, RB (graduation)
• Ty Son Lawton, RB (graduation)
• Donaven McCulley, WR (transfer portal)
• Ke'Shawn Williams, WR (graduation)
• Miles Cross, WR (graduation)
• Myles Price, WR (graduation)
• Zach Horton, TE (graduation)
• Mike Katic, C (graduation)
• Tyler Stephens, LG (graduation)
• Trey Wedig, RT (graduation)
• Lanell Carr Jr., DE (graduation)
• CJ West, DT (graduation)
• James Carpenter, DT (graduation)
• Jailin Walker, LB (graduation)
• Joshua Rudolph, S (transfer portal)
• Shawn Asbury, S (graduation)
• Terry Jones Jr., S (graduation)
• Tino Sunseri, QB coach (UCLA)

The Hoosiers are set to graduate a combined 16 starters across offense (seven), defense (six), and special teams (three). None are a bigger loss than Rourke, who could be a late pick by the 2025 NFL Draft odds.

They'll also need to replace their top two rushers in Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison, who combined for over 1,400 yards and 22 touchdowns entering the playoff. Four of their top six pass-catchers, including versatile tight end Zach Horton, are also leaving this year, while co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri is off to UCLA.

The spine of this defense takes a hit with James Carpenter and CJ West - two key pieces for the Hoosiers' elite run defense - joining Jailin Walker, Shawn Ashbury, and Terry Jones as departing senior starters.

2025 Indiana football recruits, transfer commits

• Byron Baldwin, S (No. 207 national, No. 6 MD)
• Tyrone Burrus Jr., ED (No. 564 national, No. 10 IN)
• Triston Abram, ED (No. 671 national, No. 8 MO)
• Davion Chandler, WR (No. 704 national, No. 11 IN)
• Sean Cuono, RB (No. 761 national, No. 97 FL)
• Lee Beebe Jr., RB (transfer from UAB)
• Riley Nowakowski, TE (transfer from Wisconsin)
• Dominique Ratcliff, DT (transfer from Texas State)
• Hosea Wheeler, DT (transfer from Western Kentucky)
• Amariyun Knighten, CB (transfer from Northern Illinois)
• Brendan Franke, K (transfer from Texas State)
• Mitch McCarthy, P (transfer from UCF)

Cignetti rebuilt his entire roster through the transfer portal last year, and he's already been aggressive in replacing the Hoosiers' star-studded graduating class. That's especially important with just one four-star prospect (safety Byron Baldwin) in the incoming recruiting class.

Indiana has already signaled that it'll pursue a starting quarterback through the portal, and it's been active in filling holes along the defensive line. Hosea Wheeler was a first-team All-Conference USA star at Western Kentucky, while Texas State's Dominique Ratcliff earned honorable mention honors in the Sun Belt.

2025 Indiana football schedule

Follow the latest college football scores along with our college football picks.

*Conference matchup

After racing out to a 10-0 start last year, Indiana should be favored in its first four games at home before a tricky stretch heading into October.

The Hoosiers avoided Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State last season, but they'll face them all on the road in 2025. The trade-off? They won't have to play Michigan or Ohio State - which spoiled Indiana's perfect regular season last year - unless they meet in the Big Ten championship game.

Indiana football 2025 way-too-early prediction & expert analysis

Cignetti just turned in the greatest season in Indiana history, and to expect him to repeat it given the key losses - namely Rourke - would be unfair.

While I don't think the Hoosiers will be winning double-digit games again, I do think the groundwork has been laid to be the new kings of the second tier of Big Ten programs (like when Iowa or Wisconsin are at their peak).

However, the 2025 schedule is a lot tougher with Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State on it. If this win total is set at 8.5, I don't see any way at this point that you can bet the Over. So, given the roster attrition and strength of schedule, keep an eye out for our best sportsbooks setting the Hoosiers' win total too high due to recency bias.

–– Rob Paul (SBR | )

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