CrimsonCast

Galen Clavio brings in Brooks White and Andrew Garrison from Hoosier Network for a student-media preview of the 2026 Indiana football season, with the Hoosiers just days away from opening against North Texas.

The episode starts with the final week of preseason buildup: Back Home Network’s ongoing positional previews, upcoming appearances from Rhett Lewis and Grace Ybarra, the C3 Bloomington Tailgate Bash at Renwick Village Center, and the sense that Bloomington is fully shifting into football mode.

Once Brooks and Andrew join, the focus turns to what they have seen from Indiana through Big Ten Media Days, fall camp, and player availability. Andrew describes the program as almost “robotic,” but in the most complimentary way possible: consistent, disciplined, and so process-driven that there has not been much drama to react to.

A major theme is the difference between last year’s surprise and this year’s expectation. Nobody went into 2025 assuming Indiana was about to go 16-0, win the Big Ten, and claim a national title. Now, the Hoosiers are trying to defend that level while integrating new stars, new transfers, and new pressure. Galen, Brooks, and Andrew talk about whether this team still has the same edge and whether the program’s culture under Curt Cignetti can keep everything pointed in the right direction.

The player discussion starts with possible breakout names. Davion Chandler comes up as a receiver who may not be top-of-mind behind Charlie Becker, Nick Marsh, and Tyler Morris, but who has speed and explosiveness that could give Indiana another useful weapon. The group also spends time on the running backs, where Turbo Richard, Khobie Martin, and Lee Beebe Jr. give IU a deep and intriguing room behind what should be one of the better offensive lines in the Big Ten.

The longest football segment centers on Josh Hoover. Brooks pushes back hard against the idea that Hoover was the reason TCU struggled, arguing that the context around him matters: offensive line issues, defensive problems, a heavy burden in the passing game, and a very different situation from the one he inherits in Bloomington. Galen adds that TCU’s Week Zero offensive struggles only made the old Hoover criticism look shakier.

The defensive discussion focuses on the secondary. With D’Angelo Ponds gone, Indiana needs answers from players like A.J. Harris, Jamari Sharpe, and Ryland Gandy. Brooks sees cornerback as the defensive position group to watch early, especially because the biggest tests may not arrive until later against teams like Ohio State, USC, and Washington. Galen also points out that Bryant Haines’ pass rush, pressure looks, and disguised coverages were a huge part of what made Indiana’s defense work last year — and could help the secondary grow into the season.

The back half of the episode is about student energy. Andrew talks about campus feeling anticipatory, with students discussing which games they were able to get tickets for and how quickly football became part of the conversation during welcome week. Brooks reflects on arriving at IU before the rise and wishing the school simply had a good football team — only to watch the program become a national champion and turn Memorial Stadium into a real home-field environment.

The episode closes with predictions. Andrew goes all the way to 16-0 and another national championship, leaning into the idea that Indiana is still operating as a team of destiny until proven otherwise. Brooks predicts a 12-0 regular season, a College Football Playoff run, and believes Indiana is at least good enough to reach the semifinals. The group also debates a possible Indiana-Ohio State rematch in the Big Ten Championship, whether Oregon or Penn State could complicate the race, and why the Big Ten’s top teams may once again define the national title chase.

Indiana football is trying to do something almost impossible: follow up a 16-0 national championship season by proving the program is not a one-year miracle. In Part 2 of CrimsonCast’s 2026 season preview, Galen Clavio and Scott Caulfield look beyond the schedule and dig into the biggest questions that will define Curt Cignetti’s third Indiana team.

The conversation starts with the most obvious question: what does Indiana have at quarterback after Fernando Mendoza? Galen and Scott compare Mendoza’s extraordinary 2025 season to what Josh Hoover brings into the offense, asking whether Hoover needs to recreate Mendoza’s late-game magic or whether he can make Indiana better in a different way. They also revisit how Cignetti and Mike Shanahan have already shown the ability to take strong quarterback play and build an even higher offensive ceiling.

From there, the preview shifts into the deeper championship-repeat questions. Can Indiana maintain the same player-led culture after losing leaders like Mendoza, Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr., Pat Coogan, Riley Nowakowski, and D’Angelo Ponds? How much of IU’s rise was tied to the original James Madison transfer core, and how much is now embedded into the program itself? Galen and Scott look at three years of Cignetti transfer classes, coordinator continuity with Bryant Haines, Mike Shanahan, and Grant Cain, and the way IU keeps finding players who fit its system better than the recruiting rankings suggest.

The second half tackles injury luck, depth, eligibility uncertainty around Stephen Daley and Kellen Wyatt, the difference between star-studded depth and functional depth, and why Indiana may be better prepared than national analysts assume. The episode closes with a bigger psychological question: can Indiana avoid the post-championship “disease of me” and keep the same self-policing, team-first culture that made last year’s run possible?

Subscribe to the Back Home Network for more CrimsonCast coverage of Indiana football, IU athletics, Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers, Big Ten football, and the 2026 college football season.

Indiana football is less than a week from beginning its 2026 season, and CrimsonCast is back with a full game-by-game preview of the reigning national champion Hoosiers under Curt Cignetti.

Galen Clavio and Scott Caulfield look at where IU fits in the national college football conversation after a 16-0 championship season, why some analysts still seem reluctant to fully buy into the Hoosiers, and what Indiana has to do this year to erase any remaining “fluke” narrative. They discuss the program’s player-led culture, the challenge of repeating, the historical rarity of back-to-back national championships, and why Josh Hoover may give Indiana a different but potentially even more explosive offensive ceiling after Fernando Mendoza.

Then the show turns into a full schedule breakdown: North Texas, Howard, Western Kentucky, Northwestern, Rutgers, Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, USC, Washington, and Purdue. Galen and Scott talk through trap spots, road-game concerns, Memorial Stadium atmospheres, the massive Ohio State rematch, the historical weight of trying to win at Michigan, USC and Washington as late-season tests, and the Old Oaken Bucket finale.

The episode closes with season predictions, Big Ten championship scenarios, College Football Playoff expectations, and why both hosts land on 11-1 for Indiana — with a possible Big Ten title game rematch against Ohio State still very much on the board.

Subscribe to the Back Home Network for more CrimsonCast coverage of Indiana football, IU athletics, Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers, Big Ten football, and the 2026 college football season.

Galen Clavio and Chris Williams return for Part 2 of CrimsonCast’s deep dive into Indiana football history, picking up after the 1967 Rose Bowl season and carrying the story all the way through the modern Curt Cignetti era.

The conversation starts with the aftermath of Indiana’s Rose Bowl appearance. The 1968 season had optimism, a national ranking, and real expectations, but the Hoosiers could not quite recreate the magic of 1967. From there, Galen and Chris move into the Lee Corso years, including the showmanship, the Holiday Bowl breakthrough, the famous double-decker bus entrance, and the strange question of why even IU’s best moments so often failed to become sustained momentum.

The heart of the episode is the Bill Mallory era, still one of the most important periods in the history of IU football. They discuss the flying Indiana logo, Mallory’s credibility, the 1987 team that came close to a Rose Bowl, the Peach Bowl, Anthony Thompson’s Heisman disappointment, Vaughn Dunbar, Trent Green, and the gradual decline that followed the early 1990s.

From there, the episode moves through some of the hardest modern stretches of Indiana football: Cam Cameron, the black-uniform experiment, Antwaan Randle El, Gerry DiNardo, collapsing attendance, administrative uncertainty, and the feeling that Memorial Stadium had become a ghost town. Galen and Chris then revisit the emotional hope of Terry Hoeppner, the Play 13 season, James Hardy, and the 2007 bowl breakthrough before moving into Bill Lynch, Kevin Wilson, and the facility investments that started to modernize the program.

The final third connects the dots from Fred Glass to Tom Allen to Cignetti. Wilson helped make Indiana more respectable, Allen delivered the 2019 breakthrough and the strange 2020 peak, but the collapse that followed made the program feel stuck again. That is what makes the Cignetti era so historically absurd: within less than three years, Indiana went from a moribund Big Ten program to an 11-win team, then to a 16-0 national champion, and then to a preseason top-10 program that some national voices still think is underrated.

The closing message is simple: longtime IU football fans should not let this become normal. The history covered in this two-part series shows just how rare this moment is — not just for Indiana, but for college football as a whole.

Indiana football is eight days away, but IU athletics is already rolling. The Bison Briefing checks in on Indiana men’s soccer, IU volleyball, fall camp questions, eligibility uncertainty, and the final countdown to the Hoosiers’ 2026 football opener.

Galen Clavio opens with the energy around the Back Home Network heading into football season, including a clip from Scott Dolson on Indiana’s national championship run and what it felt like seeing IU fans flood the Rose Bowl. From there, the show turns to Indiana men’s soccer, which moved to 3-0 after a dominant but tense 1-0 win over Butler, with Collins Oduro and Stephane Njike making their season debuts.

The episode also previews IU volleyball’s season opener against Creighton, revisits the ongoing eligibility questions around Stephen Daley, Kellen Wyatt, Avry Tatum, and Sam Alexis, and looks at key football notes from fall camp, including Tyler Morris at punt returner and the defensive backfield battle involving A.J. Harris, Ryland Gandy, and Jamari Sharpe. Plus: IU-Ohio State rivalry-name ideas, upcoming CrimsonCast programming, the C-Three live show, and a few Bloomington restaurant recommendations.

Subscribe to the Back Home Network for more Bison Briefing, CrimsonCast, Indiana football, IU soccer, IU volleyball, Curt Cignetti, and Hoosiers coverage all season long.

College football is back, and Scott and James are finishing up the CrimsonCASH Big Ten season win total preview with Part 2. There’s plenty of value on the board — and James isn’t backing down from a huge prediction for the defending champs: Indiana goes 12-0.

The guys work through the remaining Big Ten win totals, breaking down schedules, potential trap games and where the best over/under bets might be hiding.

🏈 On the show:

• Illinois over 7.5 — is the schedule simply too favorable?
• Iowa at 7.5 and the annual question of how Kirk Ferentz gets to eight wins
• Why Maryland’s 5.5 could be an under
• Michigan at 8.5 with a tough schedule and quarterback questions
• James’ favorite play on the board: Michigan State under 4.5
• Minnesota and Northwestern in some very tight win-total decisions
• Is Nebraska destined to be a 6-6 team?
• Indiana at 10.5 — and why James is hammering the over
• The massive Ohio State-IU showdown that could be waiting in Bloomington
• How many Big Ten teams could make the CFP?
• Why a three-loss USC might still have a path to the playoff

Plus, Scott and James look ahead to the return of the weekly CrimsonCASH picks as the college football season gets rolling.

What’s your favorite Big Ten win total bet this season? And are you brave enough to ride with James on 12-0 Indiana? Drop your picks in the comments.

Subscribe to the Back Home Network on YouTube and follow CrimsonCASH all season for weekly picks, betting talk and plenty of Big Ten football.

CrimsonCASH | Back Home Network

Note: timestamps are based on the timecoded transcript and may not appear as clickable links for every listener depending on platform/app.

00:00 – Welcome to CrimsonCASH
01:47 – Big Ten Win Totals Part 2
02:21 – Illinois
04:22 – Iowa
05:23 – Maryland
07:00 – Michigan
08:53 – Michigan State: James’ Favorite Bet
10:56 – Minnesota
11:52 – Nebraska
14:35 – Northwestern
16:18 – Indiana: Over/Under 10.5
17:30 – James Predicts 12-0 Indiana
18:05 – Breaking Down IU’s Schedule
22:47 – Big Ten CFP Predictions
26:06 – Weekly CrimsonCASH Picks Are Back

Indiana football is almost back, and CrimsonCast digs into the latest IU eligibility chaos, the growing Charlie Becker star turn, and why Curt Cignetti has somehow become one of the most memeable coaches in college football.

Grace Ybarra and Galen Clavio open with move-in week, birthday technical difficulties, Homefield gear, and the return of football before turning to the latest legal uncertainty around Kellan Wyatt, Stephen Daley, Sam Alexis, and the NCAA’s ongoing fight over Class of 2022 eligibility. They also talk through how difficult the issue is to explain, why SEC responses around LSU and Lane Kiffin add another layer of confusion, and why players may be stuck in limbo even after enrolling.

The back half of the episode moves into IU fan culture and the new football reality: getting fans into Memorial Stadium earlier, possible game-day traditions, names for the Indiana-Ohio State matchup, local NIL food deals, Charlie Becker’s rise, the Becker Double Decker, Carter Smith’s Janko’s order, Curt Cignetti’s State Farm commercial, national expectations for Indiana as defending champions, and the debut of a new segment: CrimsonCast Dog of the Week.

Subscribe to the Back Home Network for more CrimsonCast coverage of Indiana football, IU athletics, Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers, Big Ten football, and the 2026 college football season.

Galen Clavio launches the newly dubbed Bison Briefing on CrimsonCast with a live afternoon episode covering two major Indiana sports topics: the continuing NCAA eligibility mess and the release of Indiana basketball’s non-conference schedule.

Ryan Phillips joins Galen to break down the latest eligibility confusion involving Class of 2022 athletes, professional opportunities, and whether players who spent time around NFL teams should be able to return to college rosters. They discuss the SEC’s statement, the Big Ten’s proposed rule, the legal uncertainty around the Wisne case, and what all of this could mean for Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt as Indiana football gets closer to the season.

The conversation also gets into the bigger structural problem: college sports keeps trying to operate without a stable, collectively bargained system. Galen and Ryan talk through why the NCAA’s current rulemaking keeps leading to lawsuits, why basketball complicates the definition of “professional,” and why the next few weeks could remain messy for athletes trying to decide whether to enroll, practice, sue, or move on.

The second half shifts to Indiana men’s basketball, where the newly released non-conference schedule gives Darren DeVries and the Hoosiers a stronger slate than fans have seen in recent years. The schedule includes Syracuse, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, UCF, Bellarmine, Fairleigh Dickinson, Bowling Green, and more.

Galen and Ryan like the schedule from a basketball perspective: more name brands, more résumé opportunities, and a better mix of tests and tune-ups. But they also dig into the season-ticket holder issue, because many of the best games are away from Assembly Hall or on neutral floors. That leads to a larger conversation about IU basketball’s atmosphere, rebuilding fan trust, and why winning is the only real way to make Assembly Hall feel like Assembly Hall again.

Indiana football is entering a completely new reality: every home game at Memorial Stadium is sold out, ticket prices are up, expectations are rising, and the Hoosiers’ fan experience has to evolve with the program.

Galen Clavio and Scott Caulfield open CrimsonCast’s 18th season of IU football coverage by looking back at how long the show has been covering the Hoosiers — from the Bill Lynch, Kevin Wilson, and Tom Allen eras to the national championship standard now set under Curt Cignetti. The conversation turns quickly to what a sold-out Memorial Stadium means for fans, especially with a full September home slate, a massive Ohio State game, and major demand for matchups like USC, Northwestern, and the Old Oaken Bucket.

The main discussion focuses on the new Indiana football gameday: getting into the stadium earlier, changing tailgate routines, making concessions and bathrooms work with larger crowds, building traditions like Hoosier the Bison, towels, “Hurts So Good,” and Hoosiers in the NFL segments, and figuring out how Memorial Stadium can become a real home-field advantage. Galen and Scott also debate stadium renovation priorities, including the press box, premium seating, field suites, concourses, bathrooms, sound, lights, and whether a Lambeau-style suite model could make sense in Bloomington.

The episode closes with a broader look at why football success matters to Indiana University beyond wins and losses — as branding, marketing, admissions energy, alumni connection, and long-term institutional strategy. The message: IU football is not just having a moment. The whole university now has to decide how seriously it wants to build around it.

Subscribe to the Back Home Network for more CrimsonCast coverage of Indiana football, IU athletics, Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers, Big Ten football, and the 2026 college football season.

Indiana football’s eligibility picture shifted again after the Tenth Circuit stayed the Wisne v. NCAA injunction, and CrimsonCast LIVE breaks down what it means for Stephen Daley, Kellen Wyatt, Sam Alexis, Avery Tatum, and the broader Class of 2022 eligibility fight.

Galen Clavio explains why Daley and Wyatt are currently allowed to practice but not play, why Sam Alexis remains in a different legal category through a Tennessee state-court case, and why the NCAA’s handling of the “five-for-five” eligibility rule has created so much confusion for athletes, schools, and fans. The episode also looks at possible next steps, including whether Daley and Wyatt could pursue separate legal action and how quickly anything would need to happen before the season.

The second half turns to the changing economics of college sports, NIL and revenue-share roster building, the need for eventual collective bargaining, and a major milestone for Indiana football: Memorial Stadium selling out for the full season. Galen reflects on how far IU football attendance has come, which games could be hardest to get into, and why the home-field atmosphere may matter more than ever for Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers.

Subscribe to CrimsonCast for coverage of Indiana football, IU athletics, Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers, Big Ten football, and the 2026 college football season.