Episode Details

Indiana Football quarterback Josh Hoover is already receiving criticism from opposing college football coaches — and Jacob Goins believes they may be making the same mistake people have made with Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers before.

On today’s Locked On Hoosiers, we react to anonymous comments collected by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg about quarterbacks across college football. One Big 12 defensive coordinator questioned whether Hoover can come close to what Fernando Mendoza accomplished at Indiana, while a Big Ten coach offered a more measured assessment of the former TCU quarterback.

Is Hoover really a step down? Or could playing in Curt Cignetti’s offense with Mike Shanahan and Tino Sunseri help unlock another level from Indiana’s new QB1?

Jacob explains why Hoover doesn’t need to become Fernando Mendoza for Indiana to have another elite offense — and why he believes Hoover can finish among the best quarterbacks in both the Big Ten and the country.

We also dive into the latest College Football Playoff expansion discussions, including a newly discussed 20-team model featuring four play-in games. Would that actually improve college football, or are television networks pushing the sport toward an unnecessarily massive postseason?

Plus, Indiana Basketball has added Western Illinois to its 2026-27 non-conference schedule as Darian DeVries and the Hoosiers move closer to completing their full slate.

Subscribe to Locked On Hoosiers for daily Indiana Football and Indiana Basketball coverage.

00:00 Coaches Are Doubting Josh Hoover

01:08 Anonymous Coaches Take Shots

02:19 “He’s Going to Be a Step Down”

03:02 Why Doubting Indiana Is Dangerous

05:25 What a Big Ten Coach Said

06:07 Is Josh Hoover Elite?

07:46 Hoover Will Prove Them Wrong

08:24 College Football Playoff Expansion

10:16 A 20-Team Playoff?!

12:36 How the New CFP Would Work

14:15 Would 20 Teams Actually Work?

16:01 The Money Behind Expansion

18:12 What Should the Playoff Look Like?

20:51 Indiana Basketball Schedule Update

21:34 Western Illinois Added

23:04 Indiana’s Loaded Non-Conference Slate

24:58 Final Thoughts

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