Year two of the Curt Cignetti era begins Saturday afternoon, with Indiana hosting Old Dominion in its regular-season opener.
Fresh off their first College Football Playoff appearance, the Hoosiers enter the season ranked 20th nationally in the preseason AP poll.
The 2025 season is the most anticipated Indiana football campaign of the 21st century. Despite key transfers out, Indiana reloaded with talent, aiming to prove last season’s historic run to the College Football Playoff was no fluke.
Ahead of Saturday’s opener, here is Inside the Hall’s preview of the clash between the Hoosiers and Monarchs.
Game information
Who: No. 20 Indiana (0-0, 0-0 in Big Ten vs Old Dominion (0-0, 0-0 in Sun Belt)
Where: Merchant Bank Field at Memorial Stadium
When: Saturday, August 30, 2025. 2:30 p.m. EST
TV: FS1, Noah Reed (Play-By-Play), Robert Smith (Analyst)
Radio: Don Fischer (Play-By-Play), Buck Suhr (Analyst)
The line: Indiana -23.5 (DraftKings)
SP+ prediction: Indiana 40, Old Dominion 14 (95 percent chance of an IU win)
Meet the opponent
A familiar Sun Belt foe to Cignetti and James Madison transfers, Old Dominion has a history of playing competitively with power programs.
The Monarchs finished 5-7 and 4-4 in conference play last season under sixth-year head coach Ricky Rahne.
Quarterback Colton Joseph threw for over 1,600 yards, tossing 11 touchdown passes last season. While he aims to build off that season, Joseph has an entirely new receiving corps this season.
The Monarchs return one receiver, Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding, who hauled in two receptions for 18 yards.
ODU’s defense struggled last season, surrendering 410.4 yards per game and ranking 102nd nationally among all FBS programs.
Cignetti’s familiarity with Old Dominion dates back to a 2023 primetime clash. In that game, JMU narrowly preserved its undefeated season with a 30-27 win over the Monarchs.
Injury Update
There are no new injuries known ahead of the regular season opener. The required Big Ten availability report will be released two hours before kickoff, at 12:30 p.m. EST on Saturday.
Storylines
Can Indiana get off to a good start?
In last season’s season opener against FIU, Indiana struggled mightily in the first half. The Hoosiers…