BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Sorry, America. Sorry, SEC. Sorry, college football at large.
The Hoosiers are back, and they might be even better than last year's College Football Playoff participants.
One year ago, IU shocked the college football establishment by going 11-2 and reaching the College Football Playoff. But they weren't a universally popular addition to the national scene, especially in the SEC and environs. Their non-conference schedule was soft -- it still is -- and fans outside the state diminished IU as a product of a less-than-challenging schedule. Then, after losing a relatively one-sided CFP game up in South Bend, it was said IU didn't deserve its berth.
Of course, that was nonsense, but that was the narrative.
Well...now look.
After watching No. 19 IU annihilate No. 9 Illinois, 63-10, in front of a red-out, sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium, it's clear that Curt Cignetti, architect of miracles, has another College Football Playoff team on his hands.
"We should be ranked in the Top 10," said cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, whose punt block and recovery for a touchdown opened the floodgates.
Clearly, the Hoosiers are going to move up and move up a lot, although a jump from 19 to 10 seems like a bit of a steep climb.
Understand, this wasn't Kennesaw State. This was No. 9 Illinois, winner of seven straight games, winner of 10 games last season. They came into the game giving up an average of 7.3 points per game. They returned a majority of their team, and there was talk that Illinois might be this year's Indiana story.
Welp.
They gave up 63 points Saturday night. They gave up 579 yards and 31 first downs. They allowed 312 yards rushing, the third straight game IU has exceeded 300 on the ground. Illinois was manhandled, crushed, annihilated.
Did I mention the Illini ran for two yards all night? IU had seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Offensively, Illinois managed a measly 161 yards, 59 of them coming on an early coverage bust that resulted in a long touchdown pass to Collin Dixon.
That was it.
Illinois didn't know what hit them. They never had a chance.
"That's what I saw on tape," Cignetti said after the game. "I thought our defensive line could whip their offensive line."
Meanwhile, the Heisman watch will now start in earnest for IU transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He has thrown three incompletions -- three -- in two games. Saturday, he was 21-of-23 for 267 yards and five touchdowns. He has a wealth of weapons, notably receivers Omar Cooper, Jr. and Elijah Sarratt, who combined for 17 catches, 170 yards and three touchdowns.
Already, draftniks are talking about Mendoza as a first-round selection, even the first quarterback selected in the draft. There were 14 NFL scouts in the press box Saturday; they weren't there just for Mendoza, but he was certainly a focal point.
"He's got a quick whip, strong arm, accurate, mobile," Cignetti said. "The biggest thing when he came to us was working with him in the pocket and the drop-back game, being a little more patient and poised going through his progressions...
"He's got tremendous upside. He's a tremendous person. He'll do everything he can to be the best he can be. It means a lot to him. He wants to be great."
This was a validation game for this year's iteration of IU football. After a ho-hum win over Old Dominion and two blowouts over Kennesaw State and Indiana State, we really didn't know anything. They looked good, especially in the last two non-conference games, but again, look at the competition.
Illinois, the hottest team in the nation, would be the first true test.
Until it wasn't.
It got out of control early, the Hoosiers rolling up a 35-10 halftime lead.
Afterwards, reporters tried to get Cignetti to talk about what it all meant in the grand scheme of things, what sorts of messages were sent to the college football world with this 53-point throttling. Last year, he would have answered loudly, filled up our notebooks with entertaining quotes.
Saturday, he stood before the media and spoke in a low-volume voice. Y
Asked about making some kind of statement, especially to those who thought IU was an undeserving fluke last year, Cignetti shrugged.
"I don't know; I mean, you guys control all that stuff," he said. "I've just got to get them ready...I know I stirred things up last year media-wise because I felt I had to. This place, the fanbase was dead and needed to set some expectations."
He set expectations and exceeded them, and now Cignetti, arguably the finest coach in the nation, is doing it again. Can you imagine? Could these Hoosiers be even better than last year's group?
They're back, America, and they're not sorry, not a bit.
Bob Kravitz is an award-winning columnist who has been in the sports journalism business for 43 years. He's worked at Sports Illustrated, the Indianapolis Star, The Athletic and other publications, and is now an Indiana-based publisher at Roundtable Sports. You can follow him on X @bkravitz.