Urban Meyer Tabs Rutgers as Next Program to Match Indiana’s Improbable CFP Run

In the wake of the most seismic shock in modern college football history, the sport is grappling with a new reality. The Indiana Hoosiers, long the lovable losers of the Big Ten, are national champions. Under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, they completed a storybook run to the College Football Playoff title, a feat so improbable it has reset expectations for every program in America. Now, the burning question isn’t about who will win next year, but who could be the *next Indiana*. According to one of the game’s most decorated minds, the answer lies in Piscataway, New Jersey. Urban Meyer, the three-time national championship-winning coach, has boldly pinpointed Rutgers Scarlet Knights as the program primed to follow this impossible blueprint.

The Indiana Blueprint: From Afterthought to Apex

To understand the audacity of Meyer’s prediction, one must first appreciate the scale of Indiana’s accomplishment. Before the 2023 season, Indiana was a footnote in its own conference, a program defined by its basketball pedigree. Their rise to a national championship under Cignetti wasn’t just a turnaround; it was a reinvention of what is possible in the sport’s contemporary landscape. Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt, revealing his way-too-early top 10 for 2026, included the Hoosiers, signaling that this is not viewed as a fluke, but the dawn of a new powerhouse.

The Hoosiers’ path proved that in the era of the transfer portal and aggressive NIL collectives, a transformative coach can accelerate a rebuild at light speed. It demonstrated that a strong culture, a clear identity, and strategic roster construction can bypass traditional decades-long building processes. This is the blueprint that has every struggling program—and its fanbase—dreaming. And it’s this specific blueprint that Urban Meyer believes Rutgers football can successfully trace.

Why Urban Meyer is Betting on Rutgers Football

On the “3 and Out” podcast with co-hosts Mark Ingram II and Rob Stone, Meyer framed the question that is captivating the sport. “Give me three programs that could be the next Indiana, meaning teams that are used to losing, have really bad records and can somehow rise from the ashes to become national champion,” Meyer said. His lead candidate was clear: Rutgers.

Meyer’s analysis isn’t based on nostalgia for the Scarlet Knights’ 2006 peak. It’s a cold, calculated look at structural advantages. He points to the changing dynamics of the Big Ten and the inherent assets Rutgers possesses that are now more valuable than ever:

• Geographic Goldmine: Rutgers sits in the heart of the talent-rich New Jersey and New York metropolitan area. For decades, that talent has fled to national powers. In the modern era, a compelling local program with strong NIL backing can now keep that talent home.
• Big Ten Revenue & Exposure: As a full-share member of the soon-to-be 18-team Big Ten, Rutgers has financial resources and television exposure that rival any program in the country. This provides the stability and platform necessary to make a giant leap.
• The Greg Schiano Foundation: Meyer understands the power of a culture architect. While Schiano’s second act has been a steady climb, not a meteoric rise, he has successfully rebuilt the floor of the program. He established a tough, defensive identity and improved recruiting. The “next step” now requires the kind of portal and NIL surge Indiana executed.

“They’re in the Big Ten, they have access to that New Jersey, New York recruiting base, and they have a coach who has proven he can build a program,” Meyer summarized, highlighting the essential trifecta.

The Path from Persistent to Powerhouse: Rutgers’ Roadmap

Identifying the potential is one thing; executing the Indiana plan is another. For Rutgers to become the next college football Cinderella story, several stars must align in a way that is difficult, but no longer unimaginable.

First, the 2025 and 2026 recruiting cycles are critical. Rutgers must not only secure top local talent but must also win a few high-profile battles against Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. This would signal a paradigm shift in the region.

Second, NIL collective operation must become elite. The Knights of The Raritan collective must evolve into a top-tier operation in the Big Ten, capable of both retaining homegrown stars and attracting premium portal talent—particularly a difference-making quarterback, the catalyst for Indiana’s title run.

Third, they must capitalize on a transitional Big Ten. With the additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, the conference will be more balanced and unpredictable. A well-constructed Rutgers team could exploit a favorable schedule and catch established powers in down years, much like Indiana did on its run.

The final piece is patience and timing. Schiano, or a successor if he lays the groundwork, needs the perfect convergence of a veteran roster, a favorable schedule, and a transcendent player or two from the portal. It’s a high-degree-of-difficulty scenario, but the infrastructure is now in place to attempt it.

Beyond Rutgers: Who Else Fits the “Next Indiana” Mold?

While Meyer spotlighted Rutgers, the Indiana miracle opens the door for several other programs to dream big. The common threads are strong resources, a good location, and a history of underperformance. Other prime candidates for a similar shocking ascent include:

• Virginia Tech: A massive, passionate fanbase, incredible game-day atmosphere, and fertile recruiting territory in Virginia and the DMV. The right coach could awaken a sleeping giant.
• Stanford: In the expanded ACC, their academic brand and California location could become a unique portal magnet for high-achieving players seeking both elite football and elite education.
• Purdue: If Indiana can do it, why not their in-state rival? Already known as a “Spoilermaker,” they have the offensive tradition and engineering mindset to architect an upset of the sport itself.

A New Era of Hope in College Football

Urban Meyer’s prediction is less a guarantee that Rutgers will win the 2028 national championship and more a profound statement on the state of the sport. The Indiana Hoosiers didn’t just win a title; they shattered a glass ceiling. They proved that the combination of the transfer portal, NIL, and a visionary coach can compress a generation of rebuilding into two seasons.

By pointing to Rutgers, Meyer is validating that this is a repeatable model. The college football playoff landscape is no longer the exclusive domain of a dozen blue-blood programs. It is now a frontier where any program with the right location, conference revenue, and aggressive ambition can chart a course to the top. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights, with their Big Ten bank account and a backyard full of blue-chip recruits, now carry the weight of that potential. The impossible has been proven possible. The only question left is who has the courage and the plan to copy it. According to a coaching legend, the Scarlet Knights are holding the blueprint.

Source: Based on news from Fox Sports.