Indiana Football Might Have the BEST Defense in CFB HISTORY in 2026

Indiana Football had the best defense in college football during its 2025 national championship season — but could the Hoosiers somehow be EVEN BETTER in 2026? On today's Locked On Hoosiers, Jacob Goins breaks down why Curt Cignetti's defense has a chance to be historically good this season. Indiana returns major production along the defensive front, added even more talent through the transfer portal and once again has one of college football's top defensive staffs. Could this become one of the best defenses college football has ever seen? Plus, we dive deeper into Indiana's No. 6 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25 and two fascinating historical trends that could point toward the Hoosiers having a legitimate chance to repeat as national champions. Finally, we react to a controversial reported comment from an NCAA Tournament Selection Committee member and discuss why subjective postseason selection continues to create problems across college athletics. Subscribe to Locked On Hoosiers for daily Indiana Football and Indiana Basketball coverage.   00:00 Indiana Defense Preview 01:11 Defense Historic Hype 02:29 Defensive Line Depth 03:36 Bryant Haines Leadership 04:20 Defensive Line Stats 05:47 Game Offensive Shifts 06:23 Scheme and Versatility 07:08 Secondary and Depth 07:39 Scrimmage Takeaways 08:44 Defensive Sustainability 09:32 AP Preseason Poll 12:14 Top 6 Poll Comparison 13:00 Media Disrespect Issues 13:52 Human Voters Flaws 14:24 Championship Poll Trends 15:37 Polls: Past Misses 16:12 Indiana’s Title Chances 17:20 Motivation From Doubt 18:11 Indiana Locker Room Culture 18:56 History Supports Repeat 19:34 NCAA Selection Critique 21:51 NCAA Committee Corruption 23:05 Selection Threat Quote 24:05 Selection Bias Fallout 25:01 Human Element in Selection 25:55 NCAA Tournament Validity 27:46 NCAA Accountability Question 28:07 Episode Wrap-Up   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!   KALSHI For a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10. .   The Game Don't miss this chance to celebrate 40 years of The Game with 40% off your entire order. Visit https://TheGameCaps.com and use promo code LOCKEDONat checkout. 5-Hour ENERGY Bring on the sweetness with Cotton Candy 5-hour ENERGY®️ shots—available online now at https:/5hourENERGY.com or on Amazon. Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COMto play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season.  FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)   Photo Credit - Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images AND Robert Goddin AND Mark J. Rebilas  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.