By state
Indiana teams
The reigning national champion and the sport's most famous independent, in the same state and ninety minutes apart.
Programs
Football in Indiana
Indiana
Independence as identity
Notre Dame is the last major program for which independence still works. No conference schedule, no conference title to chase, and a national television arrangement that has put its home games on network television since 1991 — an arrangement no other school has.
The practical effect is a schedule assembled from scratch every year, drawing opponents from every conference. It also means Notre Dame is judged almost entirely on the strength of who it chooses to play, with no league standing to fall back on.
Indiana
South Bend
The campus landmarks are as recognizable as the team: the Golden Dome, and the library mural of Christ with raised arms that is visible over the north end of the stadium and universally known as Touchdown Jesus.
Notre Dame Stadium was built in 1930 and has been expanded rather than replaced, which is part of why a game there feels older than most.
Indiana
Where the programs stand
Notre Dame opens 2026 ranked fourth in the AP poll with six first-place votes, under Marcus Freeman. Its schedule includes Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, Michigan State in South Bend, and a trip to North Carolina.
Indiana, in Bloomington, opens sixth — as the defending national champion. The Hoosiers went 16-0 in 2025 and beat Miami in the playoff final for the first title in a 139-year program history, having lost more games than all but one team in the sport. Two programs in one state opening the season in the top six is not something Indiana has seen before.
Leagues
Conferences represented
FAQ
Indiana football questions
Which college football teams are in Indiana?
Two are covered here: Notre Dame in South Bend, which competes as an independent, and the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, who play in the Big Ten and won the 2025 national championship.
Did Indiana win the national championship?
Yes. Indiana went 16-0 in 2025 and beat Miami 27-21 in the College Football Playoff final in January 2026 — the first national title in the program's 139-year history.
Why is Notre Dame independent?
It has never joined a football conference, and a long-standing national television arrangement plus a nationwide following make independence viable in a way it is not for other programs.
What is Touchdown Jesus?
A mural of Christ with raised arms on the Hesburgh Library at Notre Dame, visible above the north end of the stadium. The raised arms resemble a referee signalling a touchdown.
How is Notre Dame's schedule made without a conference?
Games are arranged individually with schools from across the country, often years in advance, which produces a genuinely national schedule and means the program is judged largely on who it chooses to play.